FlowerTrials organisers remain cautiously optimistic as event is only three months away

VOORHOUT, Netherlands: Organisers of the annual FlowerTrials have said they are hopeful this year’s event will take place.

Taking into account the options available with outdoor exhibition venues and well-ventilated greenhouses, together with the ongoing vaccination schemes, FlowerTrials® remains cautiously optimistic that a physical event in week 24 can take place.

The group of 60 companies holding FlowerTrials® at 28 locations has set 31st of March as a cut-off date for a final decision on the format of this year’s event: will breeders open their doors, exhibit plants and receive visitors; will the event revert to a digital format or will there be a hybrid edition? Meanwhile, most exhibitors have confirmed their participation and started plant production.

The FlowerTrials® Board and Secretariat are currently preparing for various scenarios. If a physical event can be held, visitors will need to pre-register via the FlowerTrials® website and reserve a time slot for each visit. Every location will be obliged to respect the maximum visitor capacity, defined by the Dutch and German regulations by calculating the available visitor surface in m2. No visits will be allowed without pre-registration and all usual health measures and social distancing will apply. In case of a solely digital event, online alternatives will be offered to present the latest breeding to the industry. Currently, the promotion committee is preparing several proposals which will be presented to the group in advance of the decision deadline.

Gill Corless, FlowerTrials® Chairman: “FlowerTrials® does not take place at one location; breeders show their latest innovations at 28 different venues. Each venue will carefully weigh up every option to be able to welcome visitors to their location, because plants and people, people and plants are inextricably linked with each other and everyone is so eager to meet up and see the very latest from the breeders for themselves. Nevertheless, safety prevails above all, and if physical visits need to be restricted or even prohibited, we are committed as an organisation to present the new breeding introductions to the industry under the flag of the FlowerTrials® in week 24, in the best way possible.”

Founded in 2003 by a group of visionary entrepreneurs in the pot and bedding plant industry, Flower Trials has quickly established itself as one of the top ornamental plant events providing a platform for relatively young companies in plant breeding as well as established brands and supports retail businesses throughout the world.

June is one of the most important months of the year for everyone in the ornamental horticulture industry. With summer around the corner, growers, plant buyers, plug producers, distributors, florists, garden centre retailers, journalists and PR professionals kick into high gear with the start of FlowerTrials.

Industry professionals spend hours each day discovering the latest breeding breakthroughs, attending seminars, award ceremonies and talking shop, marketing programmes and trends.

FlowerTrials has developed over a number of years and become a spectacular international event providing a comprehensive overview of existing, new and future assortments of cut flowers, pot and bedding plants. Since 2003, attendance at the annual showcase has grown with guests visiting from five continents to the four-day show.

The annual summer showcase was postponed for the first time in its 18-year history in 2020.

For more information visit www.flowertrials.com