It’s another packed schedule for GIMA&its members

VickyNuttall, Director of

Trade associations arewell known for adding value for their members but what does this really mean?

At GIMA it means, as 2023 has shown, apretty packed event schedule. We might only be afew months in, but we’ve already travelled the length and breadth of the countrymeeting with members newand old, while also attending events, exhibitions and skills workshops.

Quarterone saw GIMA busy hosting the Garden PressEvent alongside the HTA. This event provided aplatformfor over400 membersofthe gardening pressand social media community to network with brands wanting to gain moremedia coverage in the coming months. Athriving event, this year’s Garden PressEvent demonstrated the value of face-to-faceevents.

Hot on the heels of the Garden Press Event wasour annual Day Conference, whereindustryjuggernauts Dobbies and British Garden Centresheadlined our agenda for the day.Outlining their plans for the futureand theimportanceofsuppliers within this vision, these sessions drew in the crowdsincluding those wanting to better understand howthese market leaders areshaping thenext chapter of garden retail. Delegates also learned moreabout thethree newtypes of consumers, the business-critical differencebetween data and insight, and gained an understanding intothe so-called ‘War on Talent’.

Three GIMA Knowledge Exchange workshopshavealso taken place since the startofthe year,arming delegates with tangibleand relevantadvice to build vital skillsets. From sales development and key account management to influencingskills, these one-day sessions –led by corporate trainer,Cedar Associates– have helped dozens of employees within the garden retail sectorbroadentheir career prospects,gain newskills and build their confidence as they progressintonew rolesand businesses launched newinnovations from June 2022 to May 2023.The deadline for submissions is 2nd June and we’realready receiving some very strong entries, so who scoops one of the 16 awards up for grabs this year is anyone’sguess!

We’realsotaking bookings for the GIMA Charity Golf Day on 8th June, with sponsorship already being snapped up from brands that want to gain extra exposureduringthe day. Thereisalso a strong webinar programme incoming with sessions set to featureAspin, Euromonitor, RT7Digital, Xenia, and Dascher.Not forgetting the annual trend presentation from Scarlet Opus in September

Quarterone has also seen GIMA’s membership grow,with 12 newmembers signing up.Brands taking advantage of our extensiveportfolio of member benefits include Fandango FireTools, AHS,Evolution Packaging,Maze, Patterson &Rothwell, Pioneer Brushes, SayGrass, The Natural Plant Food Company,Westminster Stone, Yardforce,RT7Digital, and XeniaBroking

But what about the rest of theyear?

We’recertainly notonestorest on our laurels. The annual GIMA awards areset to return on 19th October and entry is nowopen to all our members that

GIMA dates for the diaryfor 2023

• GIMAAGM, 12th May, virtual event

• GIMAGolfDay, 8th June, 2022, Belton Woods, Grantham

• GIMAatGLEE, 27th- 29th June, NEC, Birmingham

• GIMAAwardsJudging, 11th -12th July,Warwick Racecourse

• GIMAAwardsGala Dinner, 19th October,CelticManor Resort

Plus look out for moreskills-based workshops, market data, Buyer Connect sessions, and various webinars on ahost of differenttopics.

And of course, we haveGlee very much on the horizon with June getting ever closer.Aspartofour programme to ensureour members get as much out of the showaspossible, GIMA will onceagain be running hosted meetings within the GIMA Lounge. These speed networking sessions areoften an invaluable resource and haveresulted in many newretail partnerships being formed. With so much on the to-dolistfor the remainderof2023, it hardly seems surprising that GIMA is currently recruiting foranew Membership and Marketing Co-ordinator! This newteammember will be an integral partofGIMA’s growth plans and will shareresponsibility for implementing ongoing member initiatives.