The Buyer Connect speed networking sessions held at this year’s Glee were heralded as a great success by all those that took part.

Exhibitors were invited to request short introductory meetings with 16 key garden retailers who agreed to take part in the event. With high profile names such as Wyevale Garden Centre, Blue Diamond Group and Homebase, to name but a few, the slots were quickly booked up in advance of the show. 

Run by GIMA in their business lounge, more than 160, strictly timed 10 minute appointments took place over the two sessions.

As a first time exhibitor in the Innovators Zone, Mandy Bailey of Plant-n-Grow took part and found Buyer Connect a great opportunity to present their new products and receive feedback on key elements of their proposition and market research.

Vicky Nuttall, GIMA director said: ”We see one of our key roles as bringing suppliers and retailers together, and Buyer Connect is a perfect opportunity for us to put this into practice. We were delighted to be asked to run this event again but on a larger scale than last year. We have plans to hold more such events in the future, and hopefully at Glee again.”