Europe’s most beloved garden and horticulture show, Glee 2025, took place last month, from September 16th to 18th at the NEC Birmingham and celebrated its 51st anniversary. The event brought together hundreds of exciting brands and thousands of buyers from across the UK and beyond to share and discuss the latest in horticulture. In this article, we look at the value of the event, sustainable practices, innovative product-showcases and head-turning exhibition stand designs.
About Glee 2025
Glee, one of Europe’s largest garden retail events, first began in 1974! Now a landmark event for gardening, horticulture and outdoor living, the event unites suppliers and retailers from over 50 countries.
Exhibiting at Glee 2025
Our team wanted to discover what makes this event so valuable to its industry. In conversation with Evergreen Horticulture, an exhibitor at the event, we discovered that it’s the ability to forge connections and showcase products that people love so much.
Justina McCuskey, the Sales & Marketing Manager at Evergreen Horticulture, shared:
Glee is great! It's great just to meet people in horticulture - it's a lovely sector to work in. The chance to showcase our range of growing media products, some new lines added, so it's a great opportunity and platform to do so!
Brand Representation with Evergreen Horticulture & Simply Jaspers
At busy events like Glee, compelling brand representation is important, both to capture attention at the event and create a more memorable brand post-show.
Evergreen Horticulture
Evergreen Horticulture is a third-generation family-run business that manufactures horticulture products and growing media for garden centres, nurseries, and DIY garden groups throughout the UK and Ireland. With a wide range of products and a new line launching at the show, standout showcasing that attracted attention was a must!
Our designers crafted bespoke “window boxes” that allowed the packaged product to be displayed alongside a product sample for visitors to look, see and touch. This, paired with bold branding and vibrant colours, made the exhibition stand both eye-catching and unforgettable.
Simply Jaspers
Quadrant2Design also crafted a bespoke stand for Simply Jaspers, a family-owned brand on the Isle of Wight, creating natural, healthy pet food.
Simply Jaspers was based in PAW, the Pet, Animal, and Wellbeing section of the event, with a stand that perfectly captured the essence of this brand: a love, care and understanding of pet needs! Graphics do the talking, with clean colours, head-turning lighting features, and beautiful dogs across large-format graphics.
Sustainability Initiatives at Glee 2025
Sustainability was a central theme at this event, as organisers emphasised the importance of eco-friendly products with their prized sustainability award.
As a large percentage of garden retail buying is now directly impacted by sustainability, the subject matter is becoming more prominent and prevalent within the industry. Procurement changes are largely influenced by the demands of ESG auditing, forcing budget-holders to look closely at entire chains. For retailers, this means taking a close look not just at what you sell, but who you’re sourcing from.
As the landscape continues to evolve, retailers and suppliers will need to be loud and proud about their sustainability initiatives and sourcing, extending these initiatives to the exhibition stands.
In the video below, Shainna Meyerson discusses sustainable marketing at Glee 2025, with a focus not just on ticking boxes, but securing long-term, trustworthy partnerships that align with your values.
Sustainable Partners | Exhibition Stand Designer
Quadrant2Design is not like your usual contractors, who you might work with for the odd event; we are a partner, completely dedicated to your ongoing success and credentials.
Every one of our stands is entirely reusable, for genuine sustainable exhibiting. And, with our Free Hire Pro plan, exhibitors can take sustainability a step further by hiring the stand structure on an as-and-when-needed basis. Though we work with a modular system, we always take the time to understand our clients’ needs and produce bespoke, custom reusable elements to help them meet their goals.
Justina shared some lovely feedback on Quadrant2Design:
I found [Quadrant] to be a very professional company to use, at every stage, from the concept, right though to the creation. We hope to branch out and do a lot more shows next year within horticulture... We'll definitely use Quadrant for those.
Very pleased, very fluid, you knew what was happening all the time so I would say it was a very good experience.
Contact Us for Your Next Event
If you’re feeling inspired and would like to see what we can do with your brand, get in touch with our expert design consultants! Email design@quadrant2design.com or call us on 01202 723 500 for a free, no-obligation design proposal. For more information on Quadrant2Design, please take a look at our credentials.
