The 14th edition of the IFTF is a wrap. The number of growers with a stand was higher than ever and the number of visitors was, as always, very international. What was striking this year was the addition of a Ugandan pavilion and the number of Americans who visited the fair. The teams of BPnieuws and FloralDaily were also present and made a photo report.
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Positive atmosphere, slow market
Despite the currently slow market, the atmosphere on the trade fair floor was good. The flower sector is facing several challenges this year, such as unfavorable weather conditions, limited freight capacity and the current global political and economic situation. In many countries, mainly Kenya, Colombia and Ecuador, production has been affected by the weather: too wet, too cold, too much sun, you name it. In Ecuador, for example, production was too low earlier this year and they are now again struggling with overproduction. In Kenya, the False Codling Moth (FCM) is a problem that has been exacerbated by the weather. In addition, there are concerns about freight capacity and costs, especially from Kenya to Europe. The expectations for Valentine's Day 2025 are mixed: growers hope for a better season, but have to wait and see whether next year will actually be more favorable than this year.
IFTF 2024
How was the fourteenth edition? We spoke to the organization, Dick van Raamsdonk of HPP Exhibitions, on the last day, and he was very satisfied with this edition.
Visitor numbers
He first elaborates on the visitor numbers. In general, he thinks that the fair was well attended, especially during the second and third days. He's particularly pleased with the latter. "It shows that, as expected, international buyers are happy to attend the last fair day, as long as it is not a Friday. This year, it's the first time that the IFTF was held from Tuesday to Thursday. In recent years, you have seen that the fair days are changing, people want to be at home during the weekend, and we are going along with that trend. Even though the total number of fair visitors was somewhat lower compared to previous years, this shift to Tuesday-Thursday has proved to be successful," Van Raamsdonk shares.
Growers and buyers
He is also pleased with the number of growers that the IFTF attracts. "The IFTF is primarily a grower-buyer fair. As always, we have many growers from the major flower producing countries, such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Ecuador. Moreover, we see that the number of growers from other countries increase as well. This year, for the first time, we even had a Uganda pavilion. And the more growers there are, the more buyers are interested in the fair." The visitors come from all over the world, what was noticeable this year was that there were finally many American buyers present, Dick continues. "The United States is coming back more and more stable, this is an important new target group. For that reason, a fair is planned in Miami (USA) next year. We bring many Kenyan and Ethiopian growers there." Van Raamsdonk also emphasizes that Dutch trade is becoming increasingly important, as reflected in the increasing number of Dutch visitors and exhibitors.
Always room for growth
Despite all this positivity, van Raamdonk thinks there is definitely still room for growth and improvement. "At the moment, the four major flower countries are all well represented, I actually want more of the same: even more growers and buyers at the IFTF. Next year there will also be a Floriforum again, with a subject yet to be confirmed. We have been doing this for years and it has become a kind of tradition, one that adds value to the fair."