Last week, the eighth edition of Myplant & Garden took place. The fair has grown into one of the largest B2B horticultural fairs in Italy, breaking records every year. Also, this year, the fair was bigger in terms of surface area and number of exhibitors and visitors - and FloralDaily was again present for a photo report.
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In the Fiera Milano, 762 companies (+107 compared to 2023), of which 21% were from abroad (including many Dutch), presented their products on 50,000 m2 of exhibition space (+5,000 compared to last year). Every day, the show saw an increase in visitor numbers, and the final number of visitors is 25,000 (+2,000 compared to last year).
Italian market
In general, the mood was positive, but some exhibitors were more positive about the state of the Italian market than others. Inflation is also a topic in Italy and results in hesitant behavior. As said in our article last week, they see lower orders but more frequent, and many of the companies that report growth see it in the increased number of new clients. And it was said that Italians may spend less money and start to save a bit more. In turn, this may result in less sales too.
And when it comes to investments among growers, there is also a wait-and-see attitude. It is said that growers are hoping for new subsidies from the government. In the meantime, growers sometimes seem to use their material a bit longer. "Due to the uncertainty that can be felt throughout Europe, they are simply using machines and materials a little longer and sometimes quite longer than advised."
The orchid is doing very well, but this is mainly because there is a huge shortage. Relative to a few years ago, there were much fewer numbers on the market, estimated at around 25%. This causes the price to rise, and so far, it has been seen that the Italian is willing to pay for it. This generally applies to the more exclusive segment.
The season for outdoor plants is about to start, but there is also a lot of uncertainty here. This is partly because last year was a bad year due to an extremely hot summer, resulting in no plants being sold. It remains to be seen how things will go this year, but fear and uncertainty are certainly noticeable.
Wedding remains important
Cut flowers traditionally play an important role in the so-called 'Wedding area.' In Italy, the concept of a wedding includes the concept of flowers. Flowers of all shapes and sizes were presented in arrangements and decorations, but also during various florists' presentations. Here too, people are always looking for something new.