GTN has been speaking to both visitors and exhibitors to gauge their reaction to the show...

Here are a selection of responses. For the full reaction to another memorable Glee make sure you get the October issue of GTN.

Visitor: Andy Bunker  – Altons, also a Glee New Products Judge

I think Glee2018 goes down for me as one of the best.  I feel almost all exhibitor's large and small upped their game, companies like Greenkey particularly caught my eye. However three of note which you can't help to get behind almost inevitably were Smart Garden Products building on good sales of wind spinners in 2018 and expanding with some real winners adding in colour models to the mix for 2019.  Closely followed by Apta with stunning new designs and really good value for money  containers. Lastly Fountasia with their fairy range, another winner I’m sure, and some really super quality garden art ranges.  All in all as I mentioned in September the garden art category will feature strongly in my plans for 2019.

Exhibitor: Sarah McLafferty – Primeur

Glee 2018 was a great success for Primeur, winning both the New Landscaping Product category and the overall New Product of the Year awards was a fantastic achievement for our business and we felt extremely proud to be showcasing our products. The recycled garden borders and stepping stones products gaining the most interest. We were visited by current and new customers and had a great response to the new products in our garden range as well as our new merchandising options and the exclusive new doormat range.  We have secured our stand for Glee 2019 and look forward to presenting more new developments next year.

Visitor: Terry Head – Stewarts Garden Centres

I felt that Glee this year had a really positive Buzz and overall vibes of good Autumn opportunities. Woodlodge have certainly stepped up with an incredible range of products and not just pots.  It has certainly made us think about space and how we accommodate a growing market for small gardens.  Westlands re-branding with clearer how to use information on their packaging was a breath of fresh air and will certainly make life easier for our customers (and staff).

Exhibitor: Will Hemmings – Gardman

Whilst 2018 has undoubtedly been our most difficult year yet, our Glee stand was widely considered to be our best ever. Post the catastrophic fire back in March, it's perhaps understandable that expectations from customers were lower than normal. However, reaction to the stand was nothing other than very positive.

Recovering from the fire could have been a major distraction for the entire organisation; in 6 months we've moved warehouse, re-ordered millions of pounds of stock and changed logistics partners... whilst continuing to rebuild demand with our customers. Given all of this, we were incredibly excited and proud to reveal over 400 new products at Glee, all with totally new and improved merchandising solutions. There were a few standout highlights from the show; customers were very impressed with our new look Cole & Bright. We've premiumised the entire range with new packaging and expanded our Dual Power technology to guarantee light 365 days a year. Customers understood that solar has to move away from low price, poor performing technology to better quality products built to last. Another highlight was our new range of tools; we have introduced carbon steel to our popular Moulton Mill brand, to provide a one stop shop of Good Better Best, and launched a totally new range of cutting tools. Customers were also drawn to our ever-expanding Eden Bloom brand, as we've doubled the artificial plant range - a sector still showing strong growth in the market. Finally, customers were very pleased to see continued strong innovation in bird care; the launch of a new sub-brand 'Easy Feed' was well received alongside new charity products for Royal British Legion and Marie Curie.

The main concern during the show was understandable; customers want reassurance that Gardman can fulfil 100% of orders ongoing. As we communicated to all customers at our Glee stand, by the end of September we will have 3 months stock cover and by the end of October we will have four months stock cover. At this point we will have reached our stock cover target and can service all requirements ongoing. This combined with our move back to Robson's logistics partners gave customers confidence that the issues caused by the fire will be behind us as we move towards 2019.