"The world came to us to place orders, to obtain information and to make contacts," Heinz Herker, President of Zentralverband Gartenbau (ZVG – "Central Horticultural Association"), made the assessment about the 29th IPM ESSEN which ended as a great success. "This year, a special mood was discernible. Everywhere, satisfied faces and even euphoria." Around 60,000 visitors from all continents were guests at the premier global fair in the green sector. 1,508 exhibitors from 47 countries presented their innovations and services. An even higher number of globally significant associations than in the previous years used IPM ESSEN as a network platform in order to hold their conferences and board meetings.
An Increasing Number of Significant Networks Use IPM ESSEN for
Get-Togethers
In addition to numerous associations and institutions which have been using IPM ESSEN for their central get-togethers for years, a few new ones have also convened in Essen for the first time. For example, Union Fleurs, the global association of flower and plant wholesalers, held the constitutive session of its new board of directors in Essen. Under its umbrella, the association unites 18 national member associations which, in turn, stand for around 80 percent of the worldwide turnover resulting from the import and export of cut flowers, green plants and potted plants.
The Plants for Europe plant breeders' agency, a member of the Ciopora association (the international community of breeders of asexually reproducible ornamental and fruit plants), staged its members' meeting at IPM, as did the European DIY Retail Association (EDRA) which represents the national sectoral trade associations as well as individual companies.
Fleuroselect, the international organisation for ornamental plant cultivation, introduced its objectives and services on a booth in Hall 2. The association is dedicated, in particular, to the testing, protection and marketing of new varieties.
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