Although the event is based in Germany, every year it is becoming more and more of an all-encompassing European show. The list of exhibitors spanned the European continent and visitors were noted from much further afield. Growers at the forefront of the asparagus and berry industries were in attendance to witness the latest technological developments and gain insights into the future developments that will help to keep them at the leading edge of the sector. The availability and cost of labour is a big talking point in the industry at the moment, so there was great interest in mechanical crop harvesting aids, especially in asparagus production.
Our own experience was fantastic. We arrived a day early to pack in pre-show meetings and the exhibition itself was bookended each day by breakfast and dinner engagements. We were principally displaying our latest developments in asparagus, blueberry and blackberry varieties. The range of asparagus hybrids that we represent from the University of Guelph
in Canada were of particular interest. The nursery companies, Plantara, Teboza and Thwan van Gennip were each promoting plant material of the Guelph asparagus hybrids. In addition, we welcomed a significant number of “walk-ons” to the stand, each looking for more information. To back up this offer, we were delighted to be joined by John Jaques and Bernie Solymar of Fox Seeds, Canada. Their additional insights were of great benefit to nurseries and growers interested in these asparagus hybrids.
Berries were also a major point of interest for visitors to our stand. We had great discussions on Columbia Star blackberry as well as our, soon to be launched, new range of northern high bush blueberry varieties. We will be coming out with detailed news on these in the very near future - stay tuned!
We're already planning our 2018 ExpoSE presence and look forward to seeing you all again there next year.
