Salon du Végétal announces new dates

ANGERS, France: Show organiser BHR (The Regional Horticultural Office) has officially changed the dates for the 2019 Salon du Végétal. The new dates are September 10-12, 2019. The venue, the Parc des Expositions de La Beaujoire in Nantes, France, remains unchanged.

Based on input from key suppliers and trade groups, the Salon du Végétal is changing dates to better serve the ornamental horticulture industry. France’s leading horticultural trade show is an annual three-day event for plant, gardening and urban landscaping professionals bringing together over 600 exhibitors and 10,000 trade visitors.

On September 26, representatives from different interprofessional organisations (FNPHP, FELCOOP, FFAF, FNMJ, HORTIS, UFS AND UNEP) attended a work meeting at VALHOR to discuss the Salon’s future. The show’s last edition this June left most exhibitors disappointed with low attendance figures.

All stakeholders reaffirmed the show’s positioning as France’s top flower and plant event. Because September is the month that best fits the requirements and actions of professionals from the various sub sectors, the show is now scheduled for Tuesday September 10 through Thursday, September 12, 2019.

For the first time, the show will unite under one roof all segments of ornamental horticulture including breeders, young plant and seed producers and input suppliers (substrates, pots, crop protection products, horticultural technology, IPM methods, greenhouses).

True to its 34-year tradition, novel plants will be a vital part of the 2019 Salon du Végétal. They will be given a place of honour in the Innovert Gallery, an innovation showcase linked to the annual Innovert Awards, widely regarded as the Césars of the French horticultural industry.

The new ‘French Garden Trial’ will involve top European players in varietal selection.

In 2019, the creation of a retail hub will highlight the ranges of nursery and horticultural growers, with a pro-business presentation devised with retail stakeholders. The flower and plant stagings will present an opportunity to accentuate new sales methods and creative packages, and cast a fresh eye on plants and their uses (for example, health, well-being and cookery).

The national federation of horticultural producers FNPHP (Fédération Nationale des Producteurs de l’Horticulture) is preparing its Annual Congress at the 2019 Salon du Végétal and will do so every two years, alternating with the Annual Congress being held in other regions.