So we head into the September trade show season, starting with Gafa in Cologne. I’ve been coming to and exhibiting at this show for nearly 20 years. While some of the names in the industry may have changed over the years, the overall look and feel of the show is remarkably unchanged. As usual, there are an impressive number of UK companies exhibiting, whether part of the Gardenex group or immersed independently within the vast halls.
In terms of visitors, the show feels less international than it was years ago, with relatively fewer retailers from outside Germany attending than was the case certainly 10 years ago.
It seems that many customers are still restricted in terms of how much they can travel to overseas shows. However there are still a healthy number of international contacts at the show, as well as a good cohort of German customers, so it is a very positive show for us.
Our business is and always has been very committed to export, and although the economies in Germany and France in particular are somewhat fragile right now, our underlying business in Europe continues to grow. It is gratifying to get such a good reaction to our new products at Gafa.
However our experience this year was enlivened by a world first: a disco taxi. We were serenaded en route to dinner first by our taxi driver singing along to You Tube from an iPad perched on the dashboard, along with a full disco light show including swirling glitter ball on the ceiling of the car, and then by our European Sales Manager giving a rendition of his favourite 80’s French pop song. Karaoke to go. Needless to say we did an extra loop of the city centre to ensure we had the full length version.
And then, Schweinshaxe and Sauerkraut. Some things never change.