This year’s, twelfth edition was record-breaking in many respects. Once again, records for orders and sales, as well as the number of suppliers and guests at the banquet have been broken. This is the shortest way to summarize the HORTICO 2014 Fair.
The HORTICO SA 2014 conference combined with the fair was held on January 10-11, 2014. This year’s event was held at the OSSA**** Congress & SPA hotel in Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka. The fair was attended by representatives of 37 manufacturers, which was the highest number in history. On the customer side, as many as 58 companies appeared at the fair. They were selected customers of the Company running shops and garden centers, mainly from the Lower Silesia and Lublin regions. In total, a record number of 190 participants took part in the fair.
After lunch, the official part of the meeting began in the Congress Hall. All exhibitors were presented, awards from producers were presented and the rules of the Olympics were explained. Then Tadeusz Dragan, Commercial Director at AGRECOL Sp. z o.o., gave an inspiring presentation on the possibilities, potential and the current situation in shops and garden centers. He said, among others about the image, the importance of the brand, changes taking place in modern trade and the importance of effective price management, why it is worth consciously shaping prices instead of just competing with them, and why the seller is always the most important.
During the main, fair part of the meeting, new products and the most popular products in the industry were presented. All orders placed were included in the so-called The Olympics, for which our meetings are known- the oldest pre-season fair in Poland. In the evening, during the gala ceremony, the awards were given. At the beginning, the competition “Place orders – win prizes” was resolved. The companies that most actively used the modern Contractor’s Desktop platform last year were: P.P.H.U. “SAFERIA” Anna Sławek, Garden Shop “PINIA” Bożenna Kolasa and Garden Center “Krzewy z Krzewia” Grzegorz Adamowicz.
After counting the votes that were cast during the fair by the customers, in the category of the Best Product of the Fair, the first three places were awarded to: POLAN for a set of garlic, BIOWIN for a smokehouse and KOZIELSKI for a lavender-scented fertilizer. By the decision of customers, the best stands were prepared by the following companies: AGRECOL Sp. z o.o., VILMORIN GARDEN Sp. z o.o. and COMPO Polska Sp. z o.o.
Among our clients, we mainly rewarded the size of the order. The winner in this category was AGRO-BUD Leszek Sagan. The second place went to the company ARBY Jolanta Nikiciuk, and the third – to the company “ZIELONY OGRÓD” s.c. E. Petelicka, A. Petelicki. Among the suppliers, the following companies were awarded for the highest sales value: KALNAS, GRUPA INCO, AGRIMPEX. Additionally, all buyers who made purchases took part in the prize draw. In the draw, the companies of P.P.H.U. Daglezja Artur Maj Izabela Maj s.c., R & G Sp. z o.o. Grażyna and Ryszard Chlebowscy and “DOM I OGRÓD” Sklep Ogrodniczy Maria Łyszcz.
A special distinction from the Company’s employees, the Fair Play award, in the supplier category, was awarded to the following companies: KOZIELSKI Sp. z o. o. and LUSTAN Sp. z o.o., and among the clients of HORTICO SA – companies: F.U.P.H. Anna Boguta, “GAJ” GARDENING CENTER Adam Chajęcki, AVENA Ewa and Jan Anasiewicz multi-branch store and “ZIELONY OGRÓD” s.c. E. Petelicka, A. Petelicki.
The evening gala reassured us that we were entering 2014 full of enthusiasm, energy and in excellent condition – because after the official part, the fun on the dance floor lasted almost until morning. The evening was graced by an artistic performance by the acrobatic duo Delfina and Bartek, winners of the fifth edition of the popular show “Got Talent”. As in previous years, there was also a special auction and collection for cans, the funds of which were entirely allocated to the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.
Thank you to all participants and we are already looking forward to the next year’s fair!
