"A grower must go home with new ideas," says Ids Boersma of the Amsterdam RAI, capturing what he thinks should be the essence of the HortiTech Fair, which will see its very first edition in June next year. Plans for the show were disclosed this week, and it was announced that 1,000m2 of exhibition space is already filled.
A new international platform to share knowledge and innovation within the horticulture and floriculture industry, that’s what the new trade fair ought to be. The project is set up under the name HortiTech - a contraction between the previous working title Growtech and the Horti Fair. Those involved stress that the design was made in collaboration with the industry (represented in the Netherlands by various parties, the AVAG and Fedecom), and that the organization is open to input from international partners. "I believe in crowdsourcing," says Boersma. "We want to offer the sector ample space to present itself and do so in a way that fits the entire industry."
The RAI team: Jeannette den Boer, Ids Boersma and Mariska Dreschler
Innovation Award
As it stands, the show will take place every two years in June, simultaneously with the Flower Trials. The focus of the exhibition is on the beginning of the chain, and both outdoor production and cultivation under glass will be relevant. "It's about the producers and the technical challenges they face," says Mariska Dreschler of the RAI. She also confirmed that as far as the organization is concerned, trade and logistics companies will not have priority. There will be special focus on new technologies and innovations, possibly through excursions to special projects; and an Innovation Award will likely be part of the event.
Themes
Primary staple of the Horti Tech, beside technology, will evolve around three central themes: water, energy and bio based. Companies are centralized around three pavilions, which will serve as backdrop for lectures and workshops on the appropriate themes. Each edition will also have an additional topic. For 2014, it’s food safety. With these themes and the crossover between them, the organization hopes to attract new participants from various fields, such as high tech, chemistry, life science & health, energy and water.
No size limit
During this week’s presentation, the organisation put to rest any misgivings about prices and possible lack of space. According to Boersma, the price for admission (of participating exhibitors) is still lower than those of foreign fairs, and partakers will get all the room they need: there will be no size limit to the stalls.
The first edition of the HortiTech will take place from 10 to 12 June, 2014 in Amsterdam RAI.
For more information:
Mariska Dreschler (e-mail)
Jeannette den Boer (e-mail)
HortiTech
Europaplein
1078 GZ Amsterdam
Postbus 77777
T 020 549 12 12
F 020 549 13 33
www.hortitech-amsterdam.com