Everything will revolve around garden plants at the PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt trade fair! For two days the focus will be on the products of growers and breeders. Such a fair would not be complete without a novelty contest.
It has now been decided to organise this contest differently, to make it meet the fair visitors’ expectations more closely. The novelty contest is intended exclusively for participants of the PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt fair.
In the new setup, plants will be evaluated in three categories: Best Market Release, Best KVBC Novelty, and Visitors’ favourite. All submitted plants will automatically be judged in the Best Market Release category. Upon request, they can also be evaluated by the KVBC (Koninklijke Vereniging voor Boskoopse Culturen – Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society) in the Best KVBC Novelty category. The fair organisers will make a selection from all the submitted plants for nomination for the Visitors’ favourite.
Best Market Release
Plants and/or concepts may be submitted for this category – for instance new marketing concepts, plants in biodegradable pots, unique POS material or products newly introduced on the market. The plants and concepts submitted for evaluation in this category will be assessed from a trader’s viewpoint, focusing on aspects such as keeping quality, availability, responsible production methods and the extent to which they meet current market needs. The jury will consist of experts from different countries and trade disciplines:
- Luc De Bruyne (jury president), Impact Creator at ympa and Co-founder of The Green Community (Belgium)
- Harald van Meurs, owner of AllGreen (Netherlands), total supplier for garden centre chains
- Gilles Cailleau, purchasing manager green at Group Sévéa (VillaVerde) (France)
- Erwin Meier, owner of Meier Garten Center (Switzerland)
- Peter Paul Kleinbussink, managing director of Intratuin Nederland
- Brenda Horstra, deputy director of Tuinbranche Nederland
Best KVBC Novelty
New cultivars may be submitted for evaluation in this category too. The inspections in question will be carried out by an independent, expert jury of the KVBC, which will visually assess ornamental aspects of the plants, such as colour of the flowers, time and period of flowering, leaf colour, the plant’s shape, etc., and also aspects such as health and propagation.
Visitors’ favourite
This will be the result of evaluation by the fair’s visitors. The fair’s organisers will select between ten and fifteen plants from all those submitted for the Best Market Release for assessment by the fair’s visitors, who can vote for their favourite via the green balls.
Submission and announcement of the winners
To participate in the novelty review, the plants and/or concepts must be registered by means of the registration form on the website of PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt. Closing date of the registration is Friday 5 August 2022.
The winners of the Best Market Release and Best KVBC Novelty will be announced during the fair’s opening at 9 a.m. on Wednesday 24 August. The Visitors’ favourite will be announced at the end of the fair at 4 p.m. on Thursday 25 August.
About PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt
PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt will take place on the 24th and 25th of August 2022 and is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fair will be held in and around the GROEN-Direkt hall at the International Trade Centre in Hazerswoude/Boskoop, the Netherlands. More information can be found on the website plantariumgroendirekt.nl/.
