Maine Flower Show: MELNA- owned. MELNA-produced.


Te


Flower Show Steering Committee has been hard at work since its formation late last winter. In its many


manifestations over the past twenty-five years or more, the flower shows’ biggest hurdle was always finding a suitable location. Shows has been held at the old Pepperell mill in Biddeford one year, the former Enterprise Center in Scarborough another, a couple of years at Scarborough Downs, and for the past eighteen years at the Portland Company Complex in Portland. Each of these locations had their own challenges, and none was the perfect, long- term location for the show. Te committee recognized that finding a “home” for the show needed to be its top priority.


And so the committee searched. And searched. And in the end, it came down to two possible locations that met the majority of the needs of the show. We needed enough floor space for exhibitors and vendors, ample and easy parking, and geographic proximity to the largest portion of the attendees, i.e. greater Portland. Te two potential locations were Tompson’s Point in


Portland, and the former Navy Exchange building on the old Brunswick Naval Air Station. We met with the owners of, and toured both properties. Brunswick is a very large space that would more than accommodate our needs. It has several breakout rooms for lectures, an onsite café, and parking as far as the eye could see. But the building needs a ton of work to make it into a space that would be useable, and the owner is really looking for someone to lease the building long term, and be responsible for booking other events at the facility. Tompson’s Point is


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a smaller space right now (+/- 30,000 s.f.), but the site has been approved for a 70,000 s.f. multi-use event space, and the developers plan to have that ready for shows in 2020. In the end, the committee recommended Tompson’s Point to the MELNA Executive Committee. Tey came and toured both facilities, and agreed that Tompson’s Point was the better of the two options. Te developers at Tompson’s Point have been fantastic


to work with, and they want Te Maine Flower Show to be the signature event for their venue! We’ve met with them several times, and each time, they express their desire to schedule other events at Te Point around our flower show! Te Steering Committee believes that location will be the best location the flower show has ever had! It’s easy to get to, it has incredible visibility from Route 295, there’s parking on site for approximately 1000 cars, with overflow parking nearby. And there are other tenants at Te Point, particularly food related vendors that will benefit from, and be a great benefit to our flower show. Once the site is fully developed, there will be a hotel, retail shops, restaurants, and a parking structure all right there on Te Point. Te committee also felt that having the show right in Portland, would allow attendees to come for the day, see the show, and then go enjoy everything else


downtown Portland has to offer. Brunswick, on the other hand, had very little for amenities in the area.


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