Is There An Appetite For Glee 2020?

It’s 15 weeks till the start of Glee. Invoices have arrived with exhibitors for final payments to participate in the exhibition. But will the show be going ahead?

Exhibitors need to know very soon in time to start building their stands. One of their complaints is the lack of clarity coming from the organisers.

Glee: It is our intention that Glee 2020 will go ahead

Event director, Matthew Mein says, “It is our intention that Glee 2020 will go ahead if Government Covid-19 regulations allow. But we also need to be confident that the industry will support the event and are consulting with our exhibitors and visitors to gauge their appetite for the show.” 

Responsibility

Exhibitors and visitors will want to be sure they are not risking the health of their team members. Glee shares these concerns and is expected to publish within two to three weeks more detail of their proposed hygiene and other measures.

Matthew Mein said, “We take the health and safety of our staff, exhibitors, visitors and contractors very seriously and are currently working through a range of additional measures we plan to implement in time for Glee 2020.

“Our top priority will be to focus on the prevention of virus transmission and safe customer engagement. We will continue to work through these measures in detail and what this means for Glee 2020 whilst abiding by government guidelines as they are announced. We will actively look to share these with you in due course.”

Is there an appetite for the show?

Other shows in September have been cancelled including Four Oaks, the Landscape Show and the re scheduled RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival. While there are exhibitors keen for Glee to be go ahead, there appear just as many with little enthusiasm for the show this year. 

One explained, “I don’t want to risk the health of myself and my staff. Nor do I think the show should be putting companies in the position where they are forced to take these decisions. They should cancel Glee.”

Some large retailers have made it known to some of the backers of Glee that they are not planning to attend.

Iain Wylie, chief executive of the Garden Centre Association, says that among the garden centres he has talked to there is not a great appetite to attend.

Who pays?

If the show is cancelled due to Coronavirus restrictions then Glee says, “We will work with our customers individually to share the next steps.” This may include a refund for exhibitors as Gardenforum understands the show is insured.

However, if the exhibition is postponed till next year because of lack of industry support, there is unlikely to be a refund for exhibitors. It is more likely their bookings will be rolled over to 2021.

Would their money be safe given the fragility of some companies in the exhibitions sector? They should take comfort from the fact that the Hyve Group, which owns Glee, has recently announced a £126m underwritten rights issue to secure its future amid the coronavirus crisis.

Long term support

Whether the show goes ahead in September there is still a lot of goodwill towards Glee. GIMA has said, ‘There is no doubt that Glee is a key milestone in our industry’s calendar, however, we also recognise the ever changing landscape that Covid-19 brings and the challenges we are all facing. 

'GIMA continues to be in regular discussion with Glee to support the team and, crucially, to provide them with feedback from our members. We look forward to hearing a definitive proposal for the event from the organisers, one which ensures the safety and long term security of the industry and its community.’

Source : Reproduced with permission from George Bullivant at Gardenforum

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