More than 6,800 attendees attended the FNGLA’S 2020 Tropical Plant International Expo over the course of the two-day event - an increase of 400 over last year.
Attendees flocked to Fort Lauderdale from 47 states, six Canadian provinces and 37 different countries. Interiorscape buyers jumped up by eight percent over last year. Landscape buyers catapulted up by 24 percent. And, the number of retail buyers at TPIE 2020 also increased by 41 percent.
Some 400 exhibitors took 850 exhibit booth spaces showcasing houseplants, indoor foliage, tropicals, products and services. Eye-catching merchandise displays and clever marketing ideas were abundant throughout the nearly five-acre TPIE show floor.
As for what the substantial increases in attendance can be attributed to, insiders say signs point to the exploding trend of houseplants as a retail product category throughout the United States.
“We extended our promotional reach for TPIE to include many of the online plants sellers, boutique plants shops and a wider range of produce and grocery markets,” explained Linda Adams, TPIE’s show manager. “TPIE has always been the best place to learn trends about, be inspired by and connect with the commercial world of tropicals and indoor plants. And now, with consumers embracing indoor plants like never before, TPIE is a must-attend event for anyone wishing to take advantage of the year-round, higher margins which indoor plants can offer.”
A brand new FNGLA record was set with 729 registrations for the TPIE Road Show and educational workshops for 2020. This is a 182 percent increase over last year.
More than 600 people packed into the TPIE Opening Session with Max Luthy of TrendWatching reporting on the key trends for 2020 -- and what they mean for interior foliage sales.
And, more than $28,000 was raised for research and scholarships at the National Horticulture Foundation’s annual TPIE reception, where outgoing Foundation president David Liu (Plant Design Systems) was honored for stewarding the foundation to new heights over the course of the past two years. During his tenure as president, the Foundation broke the $3 million mark.
Next year’s TPIE, held January 20-22, 2021, will be in Tampa during the multi-year Broward County Convention Center’s expansion construction project.
For more information
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