Defying the rail strike

The 40th edition of IPM is history: despite the nationwide rail strike, around 36,000 trade visitors came to Messe Essen from 23 to 26 January 2024 to find out about and order innovations in the exhibition areas of plants, technology, floristry and equipment from 1,403 exhibiting companies from 43 countries, according to the organisers.

There was great interest in climate-resilient and biodiversity-promoting plants as well as innovations for resource-conserving production. In addition to climate plants, climate-resilient urban greening was one of the key themes.

The organisers reported that IPM increased the internationality of its audience compared with the previous year. "At the 40th IPM Essen, the green sector once again demonstrated its relevance to the issues of our time. Horticulture is powerful and innovative. We have seen and proven this impressively here over four days," said Eva Kähler-Theuerkauf, president of the North Rhine-Westphalia Horticultural Association and chairwoman of the IPM Advisory Board, in summary.

The trade fair's claim to be a platform for international horticulture to plan the coming season, order goods or make investments is underlined by the fact that 71 per cent of trade visitors had purchasing and procurement expertise within their own company, as compared with 66 per cent in 2023. "This is exactly what makes a top-class trade fair. Although the ongoing rail strike significantly restricted travel to and from the fair, the right visitors were on site," said Oliver P. Kuhrt, managing director of Messe Essen.

He was also proved right in the hall aisles and on the exhibition stands. After a somewhat subdued Tuesday, the halls were well filled on Wednesday and Thursday and the mood was equally good among exhibitors and visitors - which was also reflected in the conversations. The organisers stated that around 30 per cent of visitors placed orders directly during the trade fair, while over 60 per cent planned to make subsequent purchases as a result of their visit to the fair. New plant varieties were particularly popular. The current trend is for climate-resilient species that can withstand both heavy rain and heat - an aspect that is playing an increasingly important role in both private gardens and urban greening.