As a traditional January meeting place for many of the industrys top growers
and retailers, TPIEs attendance figures offered positive, albeit realistic
signs that the North American market is positioned for a good spring. Buyer
attendance was up 5% from last year. Interiorscapers were up a very healthy 32%,
and growers/brokers were up 16%. The final attendance figure was down from 2009
by just 86 registrants because exhibitors brought 300 fewer folks to man their
boothsa sensible, cost-saving move, we think, and not a negative trend.
Plus, attendees all told us the right people were there. Said Dave Neal, CEO
of Dyna-Gro Nutrition Solutions, While the traffic was certainly slower than in
prior years (as has been the case with all shows in the past two years), I was
quite pleased with the quality of the contacts this year. It was definitely a
worthwhile show.
TPIE invited attendees to Get Connected to Tropicals in the 200,000 sq. ft.
exhibit hall, which featured the greatest collection of tropical plants
available to the industry under one roof. More than 500 companies showcased a
wide range of tropical plants and related products.
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Grower Talks