Glee Seminar Programme 2024

Watch as companies present their innovative new products to a panel of expert buyers, all competing for the title of best new product at the show. See these live pitches in action, hear the questions from the judges and witness the future of the gardening industry unfold.

Don’t miss part one of this showcase of the latest and greatest in garden innovation!

Join professional horticulturalist David Domoney as he discusses the changing consumer behaviour around cutting and pruning tools, what shoppers are looking for now and how to help them find the right tools for the job - in partnership with AMES Tools.

Watch as companies present their innovative new products to a panel of expert buyers, all competing for the title of best new product at the show. See these live pitches in action, hear the questions from the judges and witness the future of the gardening industry unfold.

Don’t miss part two of this showcase of the latest and greatest in garden innovation!

Hosted by Visual Merchandiser Debbie Flowerday and Peter Burks, CEO, The Garden Centre Association, join us as the Talent Store Awards finalists talk us through their projects from concept through to design and find out the winners for 2024!

Join us as we announce the winners from each of the categories based on the awards pitches and your own visitors' vote.

Join us to celebrate 50 years of Glee at our networking party on Tuesday 10th September (6-8pm). Taking place in the Fire, Grill & Chill area in partnership with Shark Ninja, come and party with us and enjoy cooking demos, food, drinks, live music and more!

Anthony will be providing an overview of how the Outdoor and Garden markets have performed this year, the key factors (including Sustainability and weather) and key product areas which are driving this performance, he will conclude his presentation with a view of the potential opportunities for the year ahead.

Discover innovative ways to promote plants in the 2020s, from leveraging social media to engaging real-life activities, all delivered with the unique flair of Mr. Plant Geek.

Discover the power of e-commerce in the gardening industry with Hannah Richards from eBay and Shannon Leather from Husqvarna. This fireside chat will highlight real-world success stories, offering practical advice on optimizing your online presence, enhancing customer satisfaction, and driving sales growth through eBay. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from industry leaders and elevate your business.

In this insightful session, Kate Prior, Senior Digital Strategist at international ecommerce agency Swanky, discusses how improving the online customer experience begins with thoroughly understanding your customers and their behaviour. Learn how data and insights can be leveraged to enhance user satisfaction and drive sales, with examples of successful data utilisation from across the home and garden industry. 

We all know the importance of protecting our planet, but how can garden businesses implement sustainable practices when resources and time are limited? Join us to learn from industry leaders who have successfully integrated sustainability into their operations by focusing on progress over perfection. Discover practical strategies and real-world examples of how they are making impactful changes that benefit both their business and the environment.

Andrew Burton, Associate Director at Pleydell Smithyman, design and business consultants to Garden Centres and Farm Shops, will highlight the benefits that food can bring to your garden centre, looking at both cafes and food halls. He will explain the key ingredients needed to make these successful, and share the key financial benchmarks that can be achieved.

In the ever-evolving world of e-commerce, drop shipping often appears as a low-barrier entry point for businesses, so that sellers don't have to carry stock, tie money up in stock, or have service and warehouse staff to deal with product complaints or delivery issues. But does it really work? In this session, Baggy knows why, until this point, dropshipping has not been an easy or profitable option in garden product sector, and with years of experience in manufacturing  will dive deep into the mechanics of dropshipping, dissecting the myths from the realities. Discover the key strategies that can turn dropshipping into a profitable venture, the common pitfalls to avoid, and the future trends that could reshape this business model. Whether you’re a Builder's Merchant, Garden Centre or a Ecommerce store, this session will provide actionable insights to help you succeed in the drop shipping world.

Dave will be giving an overview of innovations in technology that are affecting how shoppers engage with gardening, and how the supply chain is embracing new innovations to supply more tailored, sustainable, and innovative gardening solutions for the UK’s 30 million gardeners.

Joy of Plants supplies the UK’s #1 Plant Information Library for Kiosks, Websites & Bed cards, helping leading plant retailers to sell more plants (& care products) and bring in younger customers, while training their staff “on the job”.

Terri's passion is in helping the plant retail industry sell lots more plants — the plants that customers want, plants they’ll grow successfully. Because if together we can make plant growing seem easy, we can attract new people and grow more gardeners, and that’s part of the solution for the future of our environment and the health of our planet.

Join horticultural expert Boyd Douglas-Davies in a fireside chat with Kimberley Hornby, founder of Hornby George PR, and Vanessa Cranford, Managing Director of Spring Marketing. This session will explore how effective communication can cultivate strong relationships, enhance brand visibility and drive success in the garden industry. Learn from leading PR and marketing experts as they share strategies, tips and real-world examples of great communication practices that can help your business flourish.

The talk will include lots of tips to help people learn about the changes they need to make in their gardening habits. Peat free compost behaves in a very different way to peat based, and as such we need to alter the way we plant, water and feed. The more information we have, the more growing success we can pass on and keep people gardening.

Come dressed in your best floral attire as Floral Thursday takes hold of Glee. Get involved and join us at The Stage as we announce the winners of the prizes donated to the Glee GreenFingers Charity Draw!