CONFERENCE REPORT CONFERE


ENCE REPORT ENCE REPORT


CELEBRATING SUCCESSES


The Garden Centre Association’ s annual conference and a wards showcased the ver y best tha t the garden retail industry has to of fer, with delegates treated to a round-up by the associa tion’s inspectors, as well as key issues addressed and insights offered by a host of speakers.


T Wo To industry dustry


he gr eat and good of the garden from


y,,


leading retailers to major brands and suppliers, gathered


at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon on Monday January 22 and Tue


Av v Tuesday y,, y,, January 23


for the annual GCA Conference and black-tie awar ds dinner .


More than 300 delegates attended the event, which was pr eceded by a Greenfingers fundraising day and dinner on the Sunday


he Sunday y.. The


industry charity event included an indoor game of ‘fockey’ – hockey incorporating fun and fr olics – which saw team Cabbages, headed up by W oodlodge’s Ian Flounders and comprising gar den suppliers, take on team Pansies, which was lead by Barton Grand MD Guy T opping and made up of garden centre staff. The competitive


oodlodge opping and mad


game r esulted in a victory for the Cabbages and the event, including the evening dinner


ng dinner Wo oodlodg the charity y, r,, helped to raised


raise £25,150 for Greenfingers. Woodlodge also donated £5,000 from the sale of its stackable pots to y, which cr eates gar dens


for children’s hospices.


As well as a line up of inspiring and motivational speakers over the two days, the confer ence also saw a number of awar ds pr esented to its members. W


ers. W We estlan Wiithin this was the


GCA Rising Stars final, sponsored by Westland.


The finalists in this year’s programme were impressive to say the least. Female candidates dominated, with Emma Blackwater fr om Bents, Samantha Davis fr om Haskins, Sarah Postlethwaite from Goch, Andreea den W


Fr on Wi Robertson


from Garden W ise and Jayne Scotts of Klondyke Daleside all making it to the final r ound.


Having compl eted the programme, which included training workshops and contributing to a show gar den at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show


w,, the finalists wer e then


required to pr esent to the hundr eds of delegates in attendance, detailing their experience in the pr ogramme, the pr ojects they undertook at their respective centres and the r esults they achieved.


Having never undertaken anything like this or done any public speaking befor e, the candidates were nervous but all managed to wow the crowd, who were, ultimately responsible for the final vote on who took home the prize.


y,, Rising Star finalists, from left to right: Emma Blackwater, Jayne Scott, Andreea Robertson, Sarah Postlethwaite and Samantha Davies


It was a tough competition but Klondyke’s Jayne Scott won the vote, having carried out a full re-vam p of the landscape tunne l at the Daleside centre, including the intr oduction of power routes to impr ove customer flow and creating an inspirational garden display. Jayne, who has worked her way up to assistant manager , also set out tor,, al incr ease sales acr oss three key ar eas within the stor e: growing media, autumn lawn care and birdcar e. She said of her experience in the programme : “ It has inspired me beyond words. I feel as though it has not only improved my merchandising skills but it has also improved my confidence massively


y..” 10 DIY WEEK 9 FEBRUARY 2018 www.diyweek.net


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