As the coronavirus spreads around the world and movement is restricted and gatherings of large numbers of people are banned, a number of industry trade fairs have been postponed or cancelled. The latest events that have been cancelled are the California Spring Trials in the USA and the Tulip Trade Event in the Netherlands. Events that are postponed are Flower Expo Ukraine (to May 2020), GreenTech Americas in Mexico (to August 2020) and Horti Asia in Thailand (to October 2020).
California Spring Trials 2020
It might not come as a surprise: CAST 2020 has been cancelled. In the last twenty-four hours it's been raining cancellation emails from the participating companies. The announcement of an EU travel ban coupled with local warnings against large gatherings due to ongoing concerns regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) made nearly all decide to back out as well. Only Ball Horticultural have not officially cancelled their trials at Santa Paula (Ventura County).
Sakata and Syngenta were the first to announce their cancellation on Wednesday, followed by Beekenkamp, Monrovia, ABZ Seeds and Takii, announcing it on Thursday morning. Now, nearly all followed.
In their cancellation press releases, they all stress the importance of the health of their staff, the visitors and their families. They also point out the difficulty of taking this decision; "it is an event everyone is always looking forward to with new innovations on display in which a lot of work has gone into", many say. All are looking for alternative ways to still promote their products.
Trial sites
CAST was planned to take place from March 28 - April 1. At this week-long event, breeders usually present their existing, newest and potential varieties at different locations along the Californian West Coast. To get a clear insight in all companies that would have participated at CAST 2020, below an overview, from North to South.
- Syngenta Flower North America - Gilroy
Featuring ThinkPlants - Danziger (at Headstart Nursery) - Gilroy
- Benary and Benary+ - Watsonville
- Pacific Plug & Liner - Watsonville
Featuring Terra Nova Nurseries, Quality Cuttings Team, Klassman-Deilmann and Pacific Plug & Liner and the branded plant collections Encore, Southern Living Plant Collection and Sunset Western Garden Collection. - Suncrest Nurseries - Watsonville
Featuring Cohen Nurseries, Hishtil Nurseries, Jaldety Nursery, Kamel Plastic Pots and Nir Nurseries - Speedling, Inc. - San Juan Bautista
Featuring Ameriseed, Hem Genetics, Lambert's, Plant Source International, Inc. and Vista Farms. - American Takii - Salinas
Featuring HilverdaFlorist - Sakata Ornamentals - Salinas
- Floricultura - Salinas
Featuring Beekenkamp, Monrovia and ABZ Seeds - Dümmen Orange - Avila Beach
- Windmill Nursery - Buellton
Featuring Dramm, J.Berry Nursery, Kientzler, Oasis Grower Solutions and Skagit Gardens - Seaside Gardens - Carpinteria
Featuring: PlantHaven, Suntory Flowers, Vivero International and pop up exhibitors: Aris Green Leaf, Pacific Plug & Liner, Skagit Horticulture, Heritage Greenhouse Products, Southern Living Program, Sunset Program. - Ball Horticultural Company - Santa Paula
Featuring Ball FloraPlant, Ball Ingenuity, Burpee, Darwin Perennials, Kieft Seed, PanAmerican Seed, Morel Diffusion, Selecta One and Wave Petunias - Green Fuse Botanicals - Santa Paula
Includes Westhoff/ PAC Elsner, T.O. Plastics Schoneveld Breeding and One Floral.
FlowerTrials
Many of the companies, like Beekenkamp, Benary, PanAmerican Seed, Morel Diffusion, Selecta One, ABZ Seeds, Hishtil, Cohen, Jaldety, Takii, Danziger, Hem Genetics, Dummen Orange, PAC, Westhoff and HilverdaFlorist will also exhibit their novelties at the FlowerTrials in the Netherlands and Germany, in week 24 from June 9-12. So far, this event is still planned to continue and they are therefore inviting the visitors for this event.
Flower Expo Ukraine 2020 postponed
The organizers of Flower Expo Ukraine have decided to postpone Flower Expo Ukraine to 26-28 May 2020 due to the
Coronavirus situation.
The decision comes as the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine have enforced a quarantine across Ukraine from March 12th until at least April 3rd, these measures were imposed on March 11th. The quarantine includes the closure of all educational institutions, including nurseries, schools and universities and a ban on mass gatherings of more than 200 people.
Although the exhibition is scheduled from 8-10 April there is no guarantee that the quarantine measures will not be extended. In addition, the global concern regarding the Coronavirus outbreak, travel concerns and other circumstances, make it impossible for the organizers to hold the event at the scheduled time.
Flower Expo Ukraine is thus re-scheduled to 26-28 May 2020.
Tulip Trade Event
The organisers of the Tulip Trade Event have jointly decided to cancel the event because of the coronavirus. The event was expected to take place in the Netherlands from Wednesday to Friday, March 18 - 20. During the Tulip Trade Event, 13 tulip companies open their doors to a huge number of visitors from near and far.
In order to avoid unnecessarily endangering the health and safety of all visitors, as well as of the participating companies and their staff, cancelling the event is the most sensible option. The decision was taken in consultation with all participating companies on the advice of and in consultation with RIVM and GGD GHOR Nederland to prevent the spread of the virus.
The organisation and the participating companies say they regret being forced to take this decision, but the health and safety of all concerned must take precedence.
Thirteen participants
The thirteen participating companies that are postponing the fifth Tulip Trade Event by one year are P. Aker, Amsonia, Boots Flowerbulbs, Borst Bloembollen, BOT Flowerbulbs, Haakman Flowerbulbs, Jansen’s Overseas, Holland Bulb Market, P. Nelis & zoon’s, Nord Lommerse, C. Steenvoorden, VWS Flowerbulbs and Jan de Wit en Zonen.
GreenTech Americas
GreenTech Americas is moving from 24 - 26 March 2020 to 25 - 27 August 2020. The significant increase in the global spread of COVID-19 has resulted in this decision.
RAI Amsterdam and Tarsus, as organizers, have complied with the explicit wishes of both exhibitors and visitors to reschedule the event. "Due to the Corona virus, many travelers are confronted with travel restrictions and measures put in place by the authorities. To maintain the international reach and quality of the event, a new date has been set", the organizers announce.
Mariska Dreschler, Director Horticulture - GreenTech: “By moving the exhibition to 25 – 27 August, we aim to offer our exhibitors the best possible time slot, to present their innovations to a global audience and to initiate business. In view of the global economic challenges triggered by the coronavirus in the first half of the year of 2020, moving the show to August offers great opportunities. Horticulture is important for the global food supplies as sustainable cultivation is therefore a necessity. Even in these challenging times we need expert views and discussions on how the world’s horticulture industries can be optimized.”
International character
GreenTech Americas is the first regional event in Mexico of GreenTech, the international meeting place for horticultural technology. 50% of the exhibitors are international and visitors originate from all over the world. The international character of the event is significantly impacted by the measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The top three exhibiting countries outside Mexico are the USA, Spain and the Netherlands. In these and other countries, measures have been put in place which influence exhibitor’s and visitor’s ability to attend.
About GreenTech Amsterdam
GreenTech Amsterdam will currently take place as planned from 8 – 10 June 2020 in RAI Amsterdam. The exhibition is a global meeting place for all horticultural technology professionals. GreenTech focuses on the early stages of the horticultural chain and the current issues growers face. All Dutch front runners, greenhouse builders and suppliers are present. Last year a total of 12,489 professionals from 114 countries visited GreenTech Amsterdam.
Horti Asia
Als
o VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific has been in close contact with the organisers of the Horti Asia and, after closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation in recent weeks, decided to postpone the exhibition to October 14-16, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. "As stated by all parties, postponement is the best solution. More than 90% of our exhibitors confirmed the decision to rearrange their participation accordingly", said Heiko Stutzinger of VNU. Also the AgriTechnica Asia will be postponed to the same dates.
More horticultural events cancelled
But many more events have been canceled/postponed. Find a list of all postponed/cancelled horticultural events here.
