IPM Essen show to celebrate its Ruby Jubilee between 23 to 26 January 2024

IPM Essen is arguably the world’s premier horticultural trade exhibition. Next year, it will be 40 years since the very first IPM Essen show opened in Essen. To commemorate the anniversary year , a new ‘Our Hearts Beats Green’ themed campaign has been rolled out.

An eventful 2024 lies ahead of the iconic IPM Essen show, its organisers, and the global horticulture industry at large.

In 1983, IPM Essen’s inaugural welcomed 100 German and Dutch plant exhibitors in just one hall of the Essen fairgrounds.

The trade exhibition has gone from strength to strength and in nearly fourty years has become an important fixture in the calendar of those active in ornamental horticulture with IPM satellite shows taking place in China and Mexico.

“IPM ESSEN has written history and continues to write it. Every year, it sends valuable signals to the industry and sets the course for the new horticultural year. We are looking forward to many more success stories and an anniversary edition that will be long remembered by all participants. We would like to say thank you for 40 international plant fairs in Essen”,  says Oliver P. Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen, who is looking forward to next year’s special edition.

In 2024, more than 1,500 exhibitors from around 50 nations are expected throughout the fairgrounds to present their products and services to an international trade audience: from plants and technology to floristry and décor.

Numerous activities are planned for the 40th edition, such as a podcast, a photo campaign, a selfie point in the new campaign look and a great birthday bash, paying tributes to the show’s long-term exhibitors. Congratulations can be shared on social media under the hashtag #congratsIPMESSEN.

At its last meeting, the Advisory Board gave the go-ahead for IPM ESSEN 2024 and defined the content framework. After the positive response this year, the top theme “Climate Trees and Perennials” is to be further expanded. A meeting point and guided tours are again planned. In the Innovation Centre Horticultural Technology, the focus will be on water management. “One of the major tasks of the future for horticulture is to use plants that can withstand the changing climate. At the same time, it is about the careful use of resources. IPM ESSEN offers numerous opportunities to get fit in this necessary complex of topics”, says Eva Kähler-Theuerkauf, Chairwoman of the IPM Advisory Board and President of the Landesverband Gartenbau NRW e.V. (North Rhine-Westphalia Horticultural Association. Germany).

The IPM Advisory Board is an committee with members from trade associations, industry and politics. New members include Klaus Gaumann, Director Marketing & Product Management at Selecta Klemm GmbH & Co. KG, as well as Hajo Hinrichs, who, as the new President of the Bund deutscher Baumschulen e.V., takes over from Helmut Selders.