The response to the fourth edition of the International Green Expo (21-23 February 2018) has been great: 655 exhibitors, 17,300 registered participants (the expectation was to welcome 16,000), three days in which the main protagonists of horticulture in Italy and abroad have gathered in the halls of Fiera Milano Rho-Pero.
In one of the floral design areas, Floribusiness spoke with Valeria Randazzo, director of the fair. The architect started Myplant & Garden four years ago. In a short time, the fair grew to the current size of 45,000 m2 (three halls). Randazzo: “Italy really needed a good, new trade fair. As an architect, I really want the fair to look good. Exhibitors are clearly improving all the time with regards to their presentation skills.”
Randazzo went on to say that she’d like the fair to be as big as six halls. On Wednesday she seemed very happy with the number of visitors that morning. It was 35% higher than the previous year. The total number of visitors in 2017 was 13,000. The edition of 2018 registered 17,300 participants.
The companies from Lombardy (the Italian region where the trade fair takes place) have been the most numerous, followed by those from Veneto, The Netherlands, Tuscany, Sicily, Puglia, Emilia Romagna, Piedmont and Denmark.
Foreign exhibitors represented 20% of the total: they have been intrigued by a constant growth in numbers, recognition and business opportunities. The 150 buyer delegations – selected with care – coming from 50 countries have been able to examine what markets are able to offer.
The delegations have come from the following countries: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, UAB, UK, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan.
More than 230 journalists
There have been more than 230 journalists, from Italy and abroad (mainly from Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine, UAB, UK, USA).
Hall 12, on its debut year, has registered a record of approval not only for the meaningful presence of companies, but also for its liveliness during the whole duration of the fair. On those three days, talents and names of the fashion system have celebrated the positive blend of fashion and floristry, thus giving life to sold-out labs and fashion shows.
Myplant & Garden has been rich and varied on all of the 45,000 sqm of exhibiting surface. The 8 macro-sectors represented (pots and professional containers, garden care, machinery, decoration, flowers, nurseries, services, landscape and materials) have created a mosaic of variety that had been missing in Italy for a while.
The next edition will take place from 20 to 22 February 2019.
