Garden Show & Festival Site Report

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Garden Show & Festival Site Report 11 th International Floralies Nantes Authors: Bennis 1: Key Facts Name: 11 th International Floralies Nantes (indoor) Show Category: flower show,

00; evening light show 12 May 19.00-23.00 Ticket Prices: Internet pre-booked: Adult 17 Child 7 At the gate; Adult 19.50 Child 9.00 2.

1 Garden Show & Festival Site Report 11 th International Floralies Nantes Authors: Bennis 1: Key Facts Name: 11 th International Floralies Nantes (indoor) Show Category: flower show, tradestalls Location: "La Beaujoire" Venue: Exhibition Park of "La Beaujoire" Gross Floor Area: not known Dates: 8-18 May 2014 Origins: 1956 Theme: Bouquet of Art Opening Times: ; evening light show 12 May Ticket Prices: Internet pre-booked: Adult 17 Child 7 At the gate; Adult Child Visitor Facts (2013) Information requested, but no reply Number of Visitors: 500,000 Age Groups: Private Visitors: Professional Visitors: Reasons for Attendance: Visitor Assessment: Origin of Local Visitors: Home/Garden Ownership: Intention to invest in a garden:

2 3. Exhibitor Facts Information requested, but no reply Total Number of Exhibitors: 200+ Main Exhibitor Goals and Attainment: Rating good to very good Ratings of Target Visitor Groups Market Positioning 4: Location & Facilities Located a few kilometres north of the city of Nantes, there is good access by road and the city s tram system. Trams stop a short distance from the exhibition entrance. The site has four large exhibition halls and large scale car parks to support major events. There is one major public open space past the main entrance gate. There is a second entrance, although less obvious. The exhibition buildings have open public access along a service road on one side, while the other side has enclosed walk that connects all of the buildings. All of the buildings are marked by number and the theme of the show. Food and drink are primarily provided by temporary vendors on the outside along with a few trade stalls. There are a few restaurant facilities indoors which appear to be permanent fixtures. Toilets are adequate and easy to find. There was a definite shortage of seats inside and outside, although some interior space was too crowded to accommodate any seating. On a very hot day, shade was at a premium outside. 5: Exhibitions & Show Gardens According to the website there are over 200 exhibitors at the show, the majority are inside with floral or garden displays. There are only a few tradestands outside selling garden furniture, equipment, greenhouses etc. These do not seem to be a major revenue stream due to their limited numbers. All show exhibitions have a standard reference panel stating the name of the exhibit, designers etc. There were no leaflets or brochures on any of these displays, nor was there anyone there to speak to and answer questions. Award notices were placed in front of the stands; there are also images of gardens and floral displays that won an award on the website.

3 6: Associated/Parallel Events None known. 7:Awards No information was found in terms of categories, level or number of awards. The only information on the website is a button to see awards. As there are only a few, gold and silver, it is not clear if this is the complete listing. 8: Exhibitor Terms & Conditions No information available 9: Exhibitor Contracts No information available 10: Show History From: Since 1956, the International Floralies - Nantes welcomed more than 3 million accumulated visitors and more than 60 countries has been represented at least once at the event. Every edition of the International Floralies - Nantes has its own special theme. "Bouquet of Arts" will be the one for the 11th International Floralies - Nantes, from 8th to 18th May From: AIF was founded on 25 th September It is the abbreviation of Association of International Floralies. The Association of International Floralies is a partnership between four organisers of international flower shows (Floralies). At present, the AIF represents the Floralies of Ghent, Genoa, Budapest, and Nantes and thereby welcomes over 1.4 million visitors! The five-yearly Floralies of Ghent (2010), Genoa (2011), Budapest (2013), and Nantes (2014) follow each other in succession. Floralies are already a unique concept in and of themselves and comprise four fixed pillars: The most important section comprises the flower and plant exhibition. Visitors have the opportunity to enjoy some magnificent flowers and plants, creative ornamental gardens, flower arranging, and landscape gardening. This promotional section is aimed especially at private visitors. In addition, attention is also paid to B2B relations. Ornamental plant cultivation companies can welcome their clients to their stands, but there is also scope for the wider business community to take care of their contacts. Thirdly, the Floralies also include a section for private sales where products are sold directly to visitors.

Finally, the Floralies are always an exquisite meeting place for

entrance and there is a pedestrian underpass to avoid car traffic.

Photo 3-5: A less impressive arrival at the second entrance (above

4 Finally, the Floralies are always an exquisite meeting place for organising study days, workshops, and conferences etc. 11: Marketing No information available. There are posters advertising the show in Nantes at the tram station and around the city. 12: Site Photographs Photo 1-2: The tram line stops close to the entrance and there is a pedestrian underpass to avoid car traffic. The main entrance is the above photo. Photo 3-5: A less impressive arrival at the second entrance (above left) leaves you wondering if you are in the right place; while the main entrance (above right) leaves you in no doubt about being in the right place with the view down to the river and the floral installations (photo to left).

5 Photo 6-8: The bales of straw reflect the heritage and importance of agriculture to the region, while the flowers indicate the impact of horticulture. Photo 9-11: T Le Grand Palais, the largest of the exhibition halls, houses display gardens presentation areas. The balcony level has book shop, information point and a restaurant. The garden to the left: Pépinères Ripoche Award: Gold

6 Photo 12-14: Hall1-theme Le Dîner Monumental-has an emphasis on food. Vegetables form the display above left, while in dining table is elaborately decorated. Not clear why there is a Japanese garden. Photo 15-17: Hall 2-theme Le Recontre Poétique has given more individual spaces to the displays by using bamboo hedges. Photo left, shows the covered walkway connecting all of the halls

7 Photo 18-20: Hall 3-theme La Galerie d Arte displays both floral arrangements and garden displays. Photo 21-23: Hall 4-theme Les Cités de la Danse: most exhibitions contain a performance area as seen in above left. The certificate to the left is for the Venice display above. All of these displays represented a specific city. Award: Gold

8 Photo 24-26: Top left shows the main pedestrian route connecting the halls; the covered walk (photo 17) is at the other end of these buildings. A few tradestands and fast food stalls line this route. There is very little seating or shade. Photo 27-29: There is a small area for tradestalls selling the normal range of garden furniture, equipment, greenhouses etc. Few have placed their product in a garden setting.

9 13: Organisation and Contacts Comité des Floralies Hôtel de l'horticulture 7, quai Henri Barbusse NANTES - France Tél : Fax : : Sponsorship Official Partner: The Crédit Mutuel LACO (Loire Atlantique and Centre Ouest) will be alongside with the International Floralies - Nantes Patrons : Gilles Pothier for a Monumental Dinner Gilles Servat for the Poetic Meeting Pierre Cornière for the Art Gallery Marie Claude Pietragalla for the Cities of Dance Mylène Demongeot for the Big Studios Alain Baraton for the Garden Art Syndicate Members: Committee Société Nantaise d'horticulture Syndicat des Producteurs Horticulteurs et Pépiniéristes de Loire-Atlantique (UPH 44) Société des Horticulteurs Amateurs de Nantes et Région Fédération des Groupements Maraîchers Nantais Syndicat des Producteurs de Fruits de Loire-Atlantique G.D.A.F Association Française des Directeurs de Jardins et Espaces Verts Publics SEV 44 Société Nantaise du Dahlia et des Amis des Plantes Syndicat Professionnel des Artisans Fleuristes de Loire-Atlantique Association Gestionnaire des Formations Horticoles du Grand-Blottereau Société Nantaise des Amateurs de Cactées et Plantes Grasses Union Nationale des Entrepreneurs du Paysage (UNEP) 15: Economic Impact No information available 16: Interviews No information available 17: Summary & Conclusions 17.1 Location & General There is good access by both public and private transport. As the site is generally flat, it poses little or no problems for disabled access although it is a very large site to get around. The main entrance gives a real sense of arrival when you approach and particularly when you pass into the show grounds with a large open space going down to the river. The planting displays are innovative and interesting, never easy to do at this scale.

10 Signage is good and a covered access route is ideal in bad weather, and indeed in spreading the numbers of people moving between the exhibition halls. Catering facilities is fairly basic. The halls are cavernous and without any architectural merit, normal for exhibition halls. It does require spatial divisions and organisation on the floor when arranging the exhibits. Hall 4 had a central feature with all the gardens then located around the perimeter; Hall 2 was the most interesting with the bamboo divisions. The scale of the Grand Palais overwhelmed the exhibits Exhibitions This is essentially a flower show, although it crosses the boundary by using garden settings for many of the displays. Use of lighting was particularly good in Hall 4, Les Cités de la Danse. It may be the nature of the theme helped but no other hall had made as much of artificial lighting Bamboo was particularly effective as a screen between the displays 17.3 Issues Lack of seating in food areas, as well as lack of shelter from sun Little information, if any, on the exhibition stands No one on the stands to answer questions Some of the floor layouts for the displays were confusing, could be improved With some exceptions, the quality of exhibits was generally average

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