IPM Essen and HortEx Vietnam ink partnership agreement

Germany’s IPM Essen show and the horticultural trade exhibition HortEx in Vietnam have inked a partnership agreement. The move will see the HortEx acquisition of exhibitors from the DACH (Germany, Switzerland and Austria) region and other horticultural powerhouses such as Italy and Ecuador move to IPM Essen’s portfolio.

HortEx Vietnam organisers include Dutch-based Nova Exhibitions B.V. and its Vietnamese partner Minh Vi Exhibition & Advertisement Co., Ltd. Next year, the event will occur between 13 -15 March 2024 at the SECC Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City.

Messe Essen, the organisers of the world’s premier horticultural trade show IPM Essen, believes that strategic collaboration with the Dutch and Vietnamese partners can be particularly beneficial as the demand for flowers and plants in Southeast Asia is growing due to increasing urbanisation.

“We are pleased that we have succeeded in taking a further step towards the internationalisation of the world’s leading trade fair for horticulture. With this cooperation, we are demonstrating our presence in a rapidly growing market and enabling companies from Germany, Austria and Switzerland in particular to establish new contacts and business relationships,” said Oliver P. Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen, at the signing of the cooperation agreement.

Thanks to increasing environmental awareness, a growing middle class and an increased demand for fresh, local produce, numerous opportunities are opening up for the horticultural industry in Vietnam. The horticultural market in Vietnam is growing at an average annual rate of eight per cent, and the export rate of horticultural products from Vietnam has doubled in the last five years.

The contract was signed as part of a business delegation trip on the occasion of the Metalex metalworking trade fair, which was also attended by the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Essen, Thomas Kufen: “The course has been set for a fruitful, long-term cooperation between IPM ESSEN and HortEx. Messe Essen is once again expanding its global network and carrying the name of the city of Essen into the world. I therefore support the new partnership out of conviction.”