This year at Glee, business guidance will be at the heart of the show’s dedicated education programme, located within the Knowledge Hub in Hall 4.
Developed in association with, The HTA, the Knowledge Hub’s seminars and workshops have been designed specifically to arm retailers with a wide variety of tools to improve and build their business, as well as helping them to identify key consumer trends for the year ahead.
http://www.gleebirmingham.com/showseminar1_new1.aspx
Each day the Knowledge Hub’s activity will kick off with a special Garden Industry Question Time, where topics for discussion will include ‘Making the social / local connection’, as well as investigating ways of attracting and retaining younger gardeners. Garden centre catering will also take centre stage during Wednesday’s ‘Selling like hot cakes’ Question Time session, which poses the question ‘What can garden centres do to ensure they are maximising the potential of their catering offer?’ Each session will be chaired by the HTA, including the new Director General Carol Paris, whilst special guests will join the panel for a hearty and interesting debate.
Other key seminars will include international retail guru John Stanley’s session, ‘Garden Centre 2013 and beyond’. Held daily, this special session will investigate the changing garden retail model and how it will affect the way we do business, as well as the role of the virtual garden centre. Consumer expectations will also be a focus of these sessions, helping retailers to adapt their businesses and teams to better suit consumer needs and demands.
Bill Bown, marketing director at innovative Canadian garden retailer and greenhouse specialists, TERRA, will also be joining the Knowledge Hub on Wednesday 19th. During his session, Bill will be talking about how TERRA refocused its marketing, purchasing and branding strategies to address a changing marketplace, with the aim of inspiring others to look at how their business sits in the changing landscape.
Another ‘not-to-be-missed’ seminar will be Lynda Murray’s Visual Matters – Learn how to unlock the potential of your store through the expertise of Visual Merchandising. As the former Director of Visual Merchandising at House of Fraser, and the current MD of International Visual Ltd and senior consultant with The Retailer, Lynda will be bringing a wealth of experience to The Knowledge Hub, where retailers will learn how to use creative techniques to develop striking displays - from the simplest, cheapest ideas right through to spectacular, grand installations.
Special workshops will also boost the Knowledge Hub’s offering during 2012. From getting under the skin of the latest trends to top security advice and ways to identify and ‘win’ different types of gardening consumers, the workshops will add an interactive edge to the Glee’s educational programme.
Any retailers wanting to make the most of on-line opportunities must attend the brand new E-commerce workshop entitled ‘Start selling online in less than 30 minutes’ taking place each day of the show. Barclaycard has teamed up with Powa Technologies Limited, a global leader in eCommerce solutions, to provide retailers with everything they need to start selling online. Join Powa’s Steve Emecz for a live demonstration where he will build a web shop in just 30 minutes, followed by a Q&A session with best practice tips for selling online successfully.
Glee’s event director, Nick Davison said: “This year we are doing things differently. From the addition of the workshops and Trend Tunnel to the brand new Food & Catering Zone, in partnership with Vision Commercial Kitchens, and Guided Tours, we’ve listened to the audience and tailored our approach to content accordingly. There will be something for every retailer wanting to boost their business in 2013 and beyond.
“I’d like to also extend our thanks to The HTA for their continued support and assistance in developing our educational content. Their expertise and knowledge of the changing marketplace are invaluable and will no doubt encourage retailers to take the time to attend one of our highly informative sessions.”
