CONFERENCE REPORT
Bents Garden & Home picked up a number f awards at the conference, including the Barton Grange Trophy for Commercial Creativity & Innovation
BRIGHT IDEAS AND BRIGHT STARS SHINE AT GCA CONFERENCE
This year’s Garden Centre Association (GCA) conference and awards saw retailers and suppliers from across the industry come together to share best practises, hear from a top line-up of speakers and reward forward-thinking retailers.
centre in Bedfordshire last month for
H the GCA’s annual two-day
conference, which ran Monday, January 21-Tuesday, January 22. Those who travelled up the day before were also treated to an afternoon of indoor horse racing in aid of Greenfingers, helping to raise £6,500 for the charity.
14 DIY WEEK 08 FEBRUARY 2019
undreds of garden industry representatives gathered at the Luton Hoo hotel and conference
Participating teams competed for
the Greenfingers Challenge Cup to mark the start of the conference; with the Pansies team, made up of garden centre staff, emerging victorious.
Ian Flounders from Woodlodge
Products, who captained The Cabbages team, which is made up of garden centre suppliers, said: “For this year’s Greenfingers Challenge Cup our teams competed against each other in a variety of horse races, taking on the roles of jockeys, trainers and owners.
“It was a fantastic event and it is
great news that such a substantial amount was raised for such a worthwhile cause. I’d like to congratulate the Pansies on their win and thank everyone who took part.” Greenfingers was
launched
in November 1998 by a group of volunteers drawn from all sectors of the gardening industry. It supports children who use hospices around the UK, along with their families, by creating outdoor spaces for them to enjoy with family, friends and siblings, whether through play
and fun or therapeutic rest and
relaxation. To date it has created 55 gardens and outdoor spaces in hospices around the country. Over the
course of the two
proceeding days, delegates were treated to inspirational presentations from a host of fantastic speakers, including retail consultant John Stanley, broadcaster, writer and economic commentator Paul Mason, trend forecaster Matthew Brown, television and radio journalist Tanya Beckett and rugby legend Sir Clive Woodward. There was also a round-up by the GCA inspectors, with the chance for them to showcase the best practise and innovation they had seen on their visits to GCA members in spring 2018, as well as a panel discussion with cricketer Kevin Pietersen, and an exhibition from the GCA’s associate members, complete with afternoon tea. The event provided plenty of opportunities for networking throughout, and attendees took full advantage, as always, making new acquaintances and renewing old ones. Awards presented over the course of the two days saw staff from garden centres across the country celebrating, as they were named best
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