Taking into account the options available with outdoor exhibition venues and well ventilated greenhouses, together with the ongoing vaccination schemes, FlowerTrials® remains carefully positive that a physical event in week 24 can take place. The group of 60 companies holding FlowerTrials® at 28 locations has set 31st of March as a cut-off date for a final decision on the format of this year’s event: will breeders open their doors, exhibit plants and receive visitors; will the event revert to a digital format or will there be a hybrid edition? Meanwhile, most exhibitors have confirmed their participation and started plant production.
Multiple scenarios
The FlowerTrials® Board and Secretariat are currently preparing for various scenarios. If a physical event can be held, visitors will need to pre-register via the FlowerTrials® website and reserve a time slot for each visit. Every location will be obliged to respect the maximum visitor capacity, defined by the Dutch and German regulations by calculating the available visitor surface in m2. No visits will be allowed without pre-registration and all usual health measures and social distancing will apply. In case of a solely digital event, online alternatives will be offered to present the latest breeding to the industry. Currently, the promotion committee is preparing several proposals which will be presented to the group in advance of the decision deadline.
FlowerTrials®, Where Plants meet People
Gill Corless, FlowerTrials® Chairman: “FlowerTrials® does not take place at one location; breeders show their latest innovations at 28 different venues. Each venue will carefully weigh up every option to be able to welcome visitors to their location, because plants and people, people and plants are inextricably linked with each other and everyone is so eager to meet up and see the very latest from the breeders for themselves. Nevertheless, safety prevails above all, and if physical visits need to be restricted or even prohibited, we are committed as an organisation to present the new breeding introductions to the industry under the flag of the FlowerTrials® in week 24, in the best way possible.”
