9 minute read
Glee New Product Awards – A judges behind the scenes perspective
More than 300 new products displayed at Glee on one dedicated stand
From a judge’s p e r s p e c t i v e
Gill Ormrod, Marketing Manager at Rosebourne Garden Centres’, who was on the panel to evaluate and decide winners of the Glee New Product Awards, offers a behind-the-scenes insight into the process.
Very much a key component of Glee is the New Product Showcase, run in association with Garden Trade News, which gives visitors the chance to discover unique and innovative new products on the market. At the same time, it provides exhibitors with a platform to test out new launches and developments and for those that are successful in winning a New Product Award it brings exciting opportunities for marketing and promotion.
There was much expectation for this year’s New Product Showcase. Would there be as many products considering the previous show took place just six months earlier? Have companies been investing in innovation through the pandemic? What is truly innovative? Well, there was no need to panic. This year’s Showcase attracted more than 300 products across 12 categories - the same amount as 2019. Merchandised attractively in Hall 19 many visitors used the area as a great starting point to see the best innovation at Glee in a snapshot.
In this article, we explore the process involved in entering the New Product Awards and being part of the New Product Showcase, from before the show right through to the announcement of the overall winner and beyond.
The judges
While the products are the focus, the
Showcase wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for the judges. Each year a diverse panel of garden industry experts kindly give up their time to judge the products over two days of the show.
This year the judges were: Ian Hodgson, Garden News (Chair of Judges); Andy Bunker, Alton Garden Centre; Roger Crookes, Pugh’s Garden Centres; Mel Livingston, Fron Goch Garden Centre; Lilidh Matthews, Primrose. com and YPHA member; Elliot Kirby, RHS Wisley Garden Centre; Neil Gow, retired garden centre owner, and Gill Ormrod, Rosebourne Garden Centres.
After studying the listing of all entries, the judges are briefed on the judging criteria. Considerations are:
What is truly innovative?
What hasn’t been seen before?
What is going to be popular with consumers?
What will achieve a high volume of retail sales?
Does a product provide a solution to a problem?
With such a great range of products to view, there is no time for dawdling! For every category, each judge has a total of 20 points to award. A maximum of eight points can be given to any one product with the remainder split across other products as required. Once judged (by each judge independently) the score sheets are submitted with the totals across the judging panel added up.
Representatives from Representatives from shor shortlisted companiestlisted companies each get just tw each get just two o minutes to pitchminutes to pitch to to the judges. the judges.
Judges scrutinise the entries. Glee New Product Award judges with Trevor Pfeiffer, GTN Editor.
Before the show
Once space has been booked at the show, any exhibitor can make up to three entries submitting product information online. The criteria for Glee 2022 was that products needed to have entered the market between 16 September 2021 (the previous show) and 28 June 2022 (the first day of Glee 2022).
On arrival at the show, exhibitors bring their products to the New Product Showcase area where they are arranged into a display according to category. With more than 300 products this is no mean feat and takes a fair amount of time, especially when you factor in entries that appear last minute!
Pitch perfect
The top scoring products in each category are invited to pitch to the judges in a Dragon’s Den style format. The first round of pitching takes place on the afternoon of the first day of the show with the second round taking place on the morning of day two.
Suppliers are given two minutes to talk about their product, highlighting key features and benefits, along with any information about pricing, marketing etc. Judges then have the opportunity to ask questions of the person pitching and to query any points made. This part of the process should not be underestimated as it not only provides the supplier with an added opportunity to ‘sell’ the benefits
of the product, but it also helps to bring the whole proposition to life. It was not uncommon for the pitching to unearth real gems that hadn’t come across from just viewing and reading about the product. It was clear to see which suppliers were suitably prepared for the task.
It is then ‘heads together’ for the judges to decide on the merits of each product and select the category winners – with some decisions being much easier than others. With a breadth of experience from the judging panel healthy discussions ensue before final decisions are made, settled by the Chair of Judges if required.
Once all the category winners have been decided attention turns to the best overall product. What has truly stood out and set itself apart from the rest? With such a diverse range of categories it is hard to judge each of the winners against each other but this year there was one product that shone through. Products were also selected for the Sustainability Award and the Best of British Award.
Winners celebrate.
Ian Hodgson, Chair of Judges, inspects an entry from Plantsmith, and examples of Facebook marketing posts.
And the winners are…
There is much anticipation for the announcement of the winners at the end of day two which takes place on The Stage. Each category winner is announced with representatives invited to the stage to accept their award. Then it is the big one – which product takes the ultimate crown of Best Overall New Product at Glee 2022?
What happens next?
The announcement of the winners is just the start. Presentation of the awards is an integral part of the Glee programme and all winners receive promotion via the Glee Daily news e-mail newsletter, Glee website and Garden Trade News as well as the wider trade press. It is then down to the individual winners to maximise their awards within their own marketing activity. It provides an extra talking point to highlight when securing sales and helps products stand out from the crowd.
Judge Mel Livingston from Fron Goch Garden Centre comments: “There were a few products on offer where you could see people had their thinking caps on to solve some simple problems - parcel storage, watering houseplants, kinked hoses and better Christmas tree stands to name but a few. We have to be aware that we don’t sell anything that anybody needs, so the products that we sell are ‘wants’. Our products need to be attractive or solve problems. Our customers then need to justify and value their expenditure. ‘It’s pretty’, ‘it makes life easier’, ‘it works’, ‘it doesn’t harm the environment’, ‘it’s fun’. This is what I’m looking for in new products and we found them.”
Chair of Judges Ian Hodgson from Garden News sums this year’s awards up from a judging perspective. “With around 300 new products to evaluate in just a few hours,
Best Glee New Product 2022 The Flopro Can-Can
This year’s overall winner was the Flopro Can-Can from Westland Horticulture. The judges were impressed with the innovative approach and design of the Can-Can which will help solve the problems associated with the simple but often awkward task of filling a watering can.
Consumer research from Westland revealed that while 95% of all gardeners own a watering can, 65% are not satisfied with them. The top issues faced by gardeners include cans being too heavy to hold under taps, the handle obstructing the filling, making a mess and wasting water when filling up and having to take part in a watering can relay up and down the garden. Using CAD technology, Westland’s 3D design team set out solve these issues and so the FloPro Can-Can was created.
With its ergonomic design, this can with its flappable rose has a spout that fits in the watering can hole and a hose connector. Judges felt this would have wide appeal to a gardening audience and represented a step change in a core gardening product that has changed little since its first inception.
The Flo Pro Can-Can will be ready to retail in 2023 judging this year was both daunting and exhilarating, challenging the judging team to the limits. What was so heartening to see was the number and range of innovations on show, an indication of a revitalised industry that is striving to remain relevant, attuned to the challenges that gardeners face by helping them overcome problems, gardening more effectively, creatively and most importantly, enjoyably.
“Products were delivered to the new product arena with considerable pride by company representatives, regrettably, a few much too late to be evaluated, missing out on the considerable promotional potential emanating from the judging process. There were missed opportunities too. Supporting information was, on occasion, insubstantial, leaving judges floundering on the significance of the product. The pitch sessions were spirited and insightful, really helping focus the panel’s minds to identify category winners and the overall champion product. Although unnerving for some, it was a delight to experience firsthand the passion and belief of developers and manufacturers in their respective products. Yes, folks, the horticultural industry is most definitely alive and well.”
A final word from Matthew Mein, Glee Event Director: “Another year and another amazing opportunity to celebrate the hard work and creativity of our industry. This year’s winners’ roster was stronger than ever, with an impressive line-up of new products to ignite new sales opportunities for retailers and entice consumers with products that make gardening easier, more enjoyable and full of swoon-worthy products that also make gardening more sustainable. Huge congratulations to all our winners, those shortlisted and everyone that entered. Together you have made this year’s Glee New Product Showcase one of our best yet!”
Many congratulations to all this year’s shortlisted and winning entries. And to companies with new innovations in the pipeline, if you haven’t entered the New Product Awards before then it is worth doing so. We hope to see your products displayed in the New Product Showcase at Glee 2023.
