Green, greener, GaLaBau 2016: trade fair on course for Europe

• Encouraging: more internationality and space

• New: Garten[T]Räume (Garden of Dreams) in Hall 3 A presenting high-quality open-space design

• Premiere: Landscape Gardener Cup moving to the Messepark (Exhibition Park)

From 14 to 17 September 2016, the green carpet will be rolled out again at the exhibition centre Nuremberg. Then GaLaBau will already be opening its doors for the 22nd time. Over four days, in a total of 13 exhibition halls, 1,320 international companies (2014: 1,321) will be showing the complete range covering the planning, construction and maintenance of gardens, parks and green facilities. One highlight in 2016: the several thousand square-metre Garten[T]Räume (Garden of Dreams) presentation in Hall 3A, in which fresh impulses from the sector of exclusive open space design will be presented. The colourful support program with further special presentations, several forums, award presentations and competitions makes GaLaBau Europe's most important meeting point for the green sector. The honorary sponsor of GaLaBau is the Bundesverband für Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau (BGL, Federal Landscape Contractors Association). Over 67,000 landscape gardeners, architects and clients from cities and local authorities are expected.

Stefan Dittrich, Director Exhibitions GaLaBau, is particularly delighted with the increase in exhibition space to around 63,000 m˛ (2014 61,400 m˛) and the rise in internationality: “The increase in international exhibitors is almost 10 %. This time we are welcoming 337 (2014: 307) exhibitors from abroad – a fantastic development, which shows that our intensified acquisition and activities outside Germany are crowned with success. In total, the international share of companies is thus almost 26 % and is well above the 2014 level (23 %). The exhibitors come from 37 countries, after Germany headed by the Netherlands (58), Italy (58), Austria (35), France (28), Belgium (18), Great Britain (12), Poland (12) and Switzerland (11).

According to Dittrich, the exhibitor figures from France provide particular grounds for delight. “In 2016, we are welcoming twice as many companies from our neighbouring country – namely 28 – than in 2014. In this connection, the space has increased to almost 1,500 m˛, which corresponds to a rise of nearly 40 %. Simply fantastic”, he goes on to say. The total of over 67,000 visitors can also expect pavilions from Italy (Southern Tyrol) and China.

On the visitors’ side there is also a strong international trend: here, among others, delegations from Italy, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Singapore and, for the first time, Austria, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Scandinavia and China have announced their participation.

ELCA confirms positive trends in the European horticulture and landscape gardening market

The trade fair is the mirror of the sector – that also applies to GaLaBau. In Europe, the horticulture, landscape gardening and sports facilities construction sectors have been on course for solid growth for years. As a result, due to the trend towards construction and building with greenery, both the number of companies as well as number of employees has been constantly rising. This was revealed by the most recent structural survey conducted by the European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA) among the 23 member associations.

According to this survey, the number of horticulture and landscape gardening companies in Europe has increased in the last two years to almost 90,000. This is a rise of almost 23 %. By far the most companies in the horticulture/landscape gardening sector are to be found in France (28,000), Germany (16,779) and Great Britain (16,000). The number of employees has also risen by around 20 % to a current total of over 395,000. The growing need for more living greenery has also had positive effects on the turnover trend for the green industry. It is currently registering total sales of over 30 billion Euro – with a rising tendency.

German horticulture/landscape gardening sector continues to express great satisfaction

The German market is also developing outstandingly well. According to an economic survey conducted by the Bundesverband Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau e. V. (BGL, Federal Landscape Contractors Association), the companies in the horticulture/landscape gardening sector assess their current business situation as positive. “The economic environment for the horticulture/landscape gardening sector is as before excellent and the industry is looking ahead to the future with optimism”, said BGL President August Forster, commenting on the results of the survey of the total of almost 3,700 member companies. “For years, the business situation has been predominantly at approximately the same high level. This means that 98.5 % of the companies are also expecting positive business trends for the current year”, Forster went on to add.

The total sales achieved by the green sector increased in 2015 to around 7.14 billion Euro. This milestone was set by 16,779 stores and businesses with their total of 112,267 employees through the planning, construction, developing and maintenance of all kinds of green and open space facilities in the private, commercial and public sectors.

GaLaBau 2016 with innumerable highlights in store

In addition to the comprehensive product show, one highlight at GaLaBau 2016 is the new several-thousand m˛ Garten[T]Räume (Garden of Dreams) presentation. “Integrated in the BGL stand, the landscape gardeners profession is presenting itself with a large spectrum of its services. In this special presentation, visitors can also experience outdoor life in its entirety – everything is shown here from the urban look through to semi-public and commercial greenery concepts right up to the domestic garden”, declared Stefan Dittrich and Karl Esser, Managing Director BGL. A restaurant area is also integrated in the presentation section.

Various forums offering a know-how pool for trade visitors

Also held on the BGL fair stand, for the first time, is the GaLaBau Experts’ Forum. Devised as a central venue, it will take over from the specialist conferences, which were still held in 2014 at the NürnbergConvention Center Ost. On every day of the fair, every hour, two 15-minute impulse presentations from the domestic gardens, public greenery, regulations and norms sectors along with business management will be held at GaLaBau. The short presentations outline individual theme sections and are thus aimed at arousing interest. In addition to the brief presentations, all the awards and honours will be presented in the GaLaBau Experts’ Forum.

Of course, the event would not be complete without the GaLaBau Practical Forum introduced in 2014 and organized in cooperation with the Garten + Landschaft editorial office. For 2016, its content has been further developed and extended to all four trade fair days. Specialist planners from local authorities, landscape architects and horticulturalists/landscape gardeners, who are searching for practically-relevant information, new impulses and Best-Practice examples for their daily work in the office and at the building site, can look forward to numerous short presentations and specialist discussions.

“Bewegung im Park” (“Exercise in the Park”) special show with information for local authority representatives

Hall 1 is once again home to the playground equipment and leisure facilities manufacturers. 152 exhibitors are showing not only new products and innovations. There will also be a special show once again, organized by the Bundesverband der Spielplatzgeräte- und Freizeitanlagen-Hersteller (BSFH, Federal Association of Playground Equipment and Leisure Facility Manufacturers), in cooperation with Playground@Landscape trade magazine on its stand. In 2016, the theme is “Bewegung im Park” (Exercise in the Park). Here, together with the supporting specialist lectures/presentations in the BSFH Forum on the second day of the fair, suggestions and ideas for designing exercise areas in the parks will be put forward by representatives from the cities and local authorities. The BSFH Forum is integrated in the GaLaBau Practical Forum.

Everything for golf course managers and greenkeepers

Embedded in the exhibition halls at GaLaBau, greenkeepers, managers and golf course operators will find not only lawn-care machinery and equipment, but also grass seeds, substrates and innovative watering systems. The heart and central meeting place is once again the “Meeting Point Golf” in Hall 4A comprising 20 exhibitors. Here, small and medium-sized companies along with newcomers, who are specialists in the construction, maintenance and management of golf courses, will be presenting themselves. In addition, all the German golf associations supporting this event are represented. On 15 and 16 September, parallel to the fair, the Golf Congress will take place in the NCC Ost. It will attract numerous managers and golf course operators to Nuremberg.

Presented for the fourth time: “Baumpflege LIVE” (Tree Care LIVE) in Hall 3A

In order to maintain healthy trees, specialist and thorough care is absolutely essential. Professional tree climbers along with those interested in this theme have also been catered for at GaLaBau. The Baumpflege LIVE (Tree Care LIVE presentation organized by NürnbergMesse in cooperation with Haymarket, will be held on a larger scale in 2016 and is totally dedicated to the requirements of trees. Here, sector experts from various companies will be providing tips and suggestions in their specialist presentations, showing new products and innovations and be on hand to answer questions. In addition, the highly practicallyorientated special show with a special frame or rig functioning as an artificial tree, will be presenting tried-and-tested as well as new work techniques. Visitors will have the opportunity to get actively involved themselves under professional guidance.

Special demonstration area at the Silbersee: also accessible for interested members of the general public

In addition to their fair stand, machine exhibitors at GaLaBau will also be using the special demonstration area adjoining exhibition Hall 12 and at the Silbersee in the Volkspark Dutzendteich to present live demonstrations to their customers of maintenance and soil-processing machinery (lawn mowers, scarifiers, shreddersL) on real lawns and soil. Of course, the visitors will also be able to try these out for themselves and excavate, dig or trim. A highlight for all the people of Nuremberg: the areas will remain open to the general public during the fair and are perfectly suited to a Saturday day trip with the family.

Horticulture/landscape gardening young talent: Landscape Gardener Cup now going open air

A key component of GaLaBau’s fair business and activities is not least the Landscape Gardener Cup, which will be held on 15 and 16 September in space of 3,092 m2 for the first time in the Messepark (Exhibition Park). The nationwide vocational competition held in an impressive tent structure will attract the best landscape gardening trainees from all the German federal states (Länder), who will be competing with the aim of putting their specialist know-how to the test. They all want to become the “Deutsche Meisterteam” (German Master Team), which will then be eligible to participate in the 2017 World Championships in Abu Dhabi. In addition, the young horticulture/landscape gardening talent will come together once again in 2016 at the GALABAU CAMP in Hall 3.

NürnbergMesse China: New green trade fair in Shanghai

Green goes China: From 2017, NürnbergMesse China will be the organizer of the Greenery & Landscaping Show trade fair in Shanghai. The event has already been in existence since 2003 under another name and is now being further developed by NürnbergMesse China in cooperation with the founding father, the Shanghai Landscape Architecture and Gardening Trade Association (SLAGTA). The first edition of the Greenery & Landscaping Show will be held from 7 to 9 June 2017 at the Shanghai World Expo Center; the event cycle is annual. 200 exhibitors are expected.