As the leading annual trade show for the garden industry, Glee from i2i Events Group (September 15-17, NEC Birmingham), has long been home to the widest selection of companies – from big name brands, to businesses taking their first tentative steps in the market with a single product and the determination to succeed.
With a rich, 38 year history behind Glee, we catch up with a host of companies at different stages of their Glee "˜journey' to find out more about the vital role the show plays and their plans for exhibiting in 2013.
Debuting at Glee 2013 – Lazyboy UK - This year Glee's dedicated leisure section will be welcoming a highly recognisable brand to the fold. Famous for providing comfy indoor lounge furniture, the Lazyboy brand will be debuting its new-for-2013 outdoor brand. Designed specifically with the European leisure market in mind, visitors to the Lazyboy stand will be the first to see the new designs.
Darren Hargreaves, sales director at Lazyboy UK Outdoor said: "We're extremely excited to be exhibiting at Glee 2013. Our company has witnessed significant growth within the UK market in recent years and now we are ready to develop this within the garden retail market – and we've been told that Glee is the place to do this!"
"Lazyboy is a brand that is synonymous with quality and comfort within the home, and we've no doubt that our new range of outdoor furniture will quickly benefit from the same reputation. Like our indoor furniture our new range of garden furniture will also benefit from our renowned recliner mechanism, making our range one of the most comfortable imaginable."
Second year running – Kaemingk - Dutch company Kaemingk has a rich 70 year history that has helped it to become one of the most successful distributors of decorative garden and interior accessories in the European market. With a portfolio of over 10,000 products and a team of 22 buyers and designers scanning market trends and changing demands across the globe, Kaemingk prides itself on leading the way in product design and developing the "˜next big thing'. Having first attended Glee in 2012, the company returns this year for another exciting exhibition.
Stefan Koldeweij of Kaemingk's UK and Ireland Sales team said: "This year we will be showcasing our new range of metal garden furniture. This latest addition to Kaemingk's offering will be complemented by our existing collection of furniture, water features, lighting solutions, and solar and pottery ranges. However we won't be showcasing them in the traditional sense! Instead we will be creating three stunning "˜show gardens' to better demonstrate these products in eye catching and realistic settings."
Celebrating five years at Glee 2013 – VegTrug - 2013 marks the fifth straight year at Glee for VegTrug, suppliers of stylish raised timber beds. Having launched at the 2009 show, Glee has become a vital part of VegTrug's annual plans as Joe Denham, International Director at VegTrug confirms. He said: "Glee is now considered our annual launchpad for new products and designs. Each year we meet all our customers at the show, which in turn helps us to better plan our pricing schedule for the year ahead."
"Since our first time exhibiting at Glee we have seen continual growth, and each show we continue to add more and more customers to our books. Glee really is an important part of our business and will remain so as we continue to build our offering. We're really looking forward to the 2013 show and hope that we get to not only relive, but build on, our favourite Glee memory – shaking hands with a customer for our first ever £100k order."
Ten year Glee anniversary - Smart Solar Celebrating not only ten years at Glee, but also a year that has seen the company start an exciting next chapter, will be Smart Solar. A year of celebration will culminate with a range of activities on the company's new and enlarged stand at Glee 2013. Jonathan Stobart, MD at Smart Solar reveals more. He said: "The last 12 months have been a time of change at Smart Solar and we'll be using Glee to show the industry the strength of our new proposition. The show will be the first time that people will see our combined product portfolio since the acquisition of the Haxnicks brand. Our new chairman, Paris Natar, is also helping us to shape the future growth of our business, again something we will be demonstrating and sharing with customers at the show.
"New products to look out for will include an expansion of our decorative lighting range, including string lights, and new water feature designs. All our products will also be available for autumn delivery, making our stand a must-see for buyers looking to tap into late season sales opportunities. All our products will also be supported by new merchandising displays, which will be showcased at Glee. We'll also be demonstrating some display "˜best practice' ideas to inspire retailers and to help them boost sales in-store."
16 years leading the way in outdoor heating & ambience products – La Hacienda - A highly respected name, La Hacienda has been showcasing its latest outdoor heating solutions at Glee since 1998. Originally a small giftware company, La Hacienda credits Glee with helping them grow into one of the biggest and most respected outdoor leisure brands in the industry. Simon Goodwin, director at La Hacienda said: "Glee is a vital part of our business development. We use the show to launch the following season's products, and without it we would not be where we are today. Glee is where we meet and cultivate valuable customer relationships, something that we would not be able to achieve on the same scale without having Glee's networking platform to work from."
This year La Hacienda will be launching an exciting new range of products at Glee, expanding their product portfolio and market offering considerably. Simon added: "We're extremely excited about this year's show. We've got some great new additions to launch, and have no doubt that the market will be equally excited to see them. We look forward to seeing people on-stand once the doors open in September."
Glee veterans: 34 years at Glee - M&M Timber - Nigel Poyner, of M&M Timber's Managing Director, will be celebrating his 34th time at Glee this year. Over many years he has seen how the show has evolved and changed beyond all recognition from the early years, into what it is today. Nigel says "Glee is an important date in our diary and a great place to showcase our new and evolving products – we have to be there! Glee is an ideal place for all our past, present and future garden trade customers and retailers to come along and meet the M&M team and see what we have on offer for the year ahead".
Over recent years the show has been attended by an increasing number of non-core garden products suppliers with a decline in garden trade customers. No doubt this is due to the garden trade customers facing increasing pressures on their staff levels, resources and time. Nigel Poyner urges garden trade customers to continue to make their annual visit to support Glee in order to keep ahead of all the market place developments and support the show, which is a valuable resource to the industry as a whole.
At Glee this year, M&M will be in attendance as usual and will be showing off a range of their latest landscaping and timber garden products – and lots of surprises in store too.
i2i's Matthew Mein, event manager for Glee said: "It's great to be able to welcome such key exhibitors, both new and old, to the 2013 show. This mix of the freshest innovation and proven business builders will no doubt result in an unrivalled event, designed to help the garden retail industry to grow and develop in the years ahead. I for one look forward to seeing what these companies will be showcasing later in the year, and wish them a most successful and profitable Glee 2013."
