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In keeping with our Horticulture Marketing Strategy 2019 – 2021 and the Bloom Strategy to place horticulture at the core of the event, the horticulture team spared no effort this year to build and amplify its horticulture content. The objective was to activate additional and stronger horticulture (and industry-linked) content and activity across the show site. This was achieved in the following ways;
THIS IS HORTICULTURE BY BORD BIA The central feature in the Nursery/Floral Pavilion, This is Horticulture, was designed to educate and inform visitors about the Irish Horticulture sector, its existence, scale, variety of activity and how it contributes nationally from a commercial perspective. It showcased both ornamental and edible production in a variety of ways, with fresh produce and plant displays, infographics highlighting production values and a selection of growers, along with plasma screens running Meet the Grower videos. The main focus of the display was a large screen made up of 42 individual half metre screens, which wrapped around the viewer in an especially designed viewing gallery. This provided a virtual tour of Irish horticultural production via six specially commissioned 360-degree videos bringing the viewer through giant glasshouses full of flowers, strawberry and tomato production, a field vegetable production site and apple orchards from spring flowering to harvest time full of fruit. The experience was designed to deliver key messages about the importance and value of the horticultural industry to Ireland and gave growers the opportunity to spend time at the feature and chat to visitors. ✽
THE HEALTHY WAY #EATWELL #BEWELL #FEELWELL Following a collaboration with Healthy Ireland at Bloom 2018 and building on this relationship further in 2019, Bord Bia partnered with Healthy Ireland to install a large show garden at Bloom this year. Healthy Ireland is a Government-led initiative (led by the Department of Health) aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of everyone living in Ireland. The garden, called The Healthy Way represented a public space linking healthy eating, healthy movement and wellbeing through a series of seasonal planted areas and water. Ranging through a mixed perennial environment and mature woodland setting it reflected a vision that Ireland is a place where people can be inspired and feel empowered by their natural surroundings to improve their health and wellbeing. Over the course of the show, the garden had a schedule of interactive activities ranging from cooking demonstrations, to exercise and wellbeing with singers, dancers and yoga bringing the garden to life. The range of seasonal vegetable crops grown in the garden was profiled and cooked into delicious healthy meals by the Hungry Gardener amongst others, with the Food Dude characters along with some other wellknown faces bringing an energetic dynamic to the garden over the five days. ✽
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RAINBOW TUNNEL (SEVEN A DAY FRESH PRODUCE PROMOTION IN THE FOOD VILLAGE) This year Bord Bia focused on showcasing salad crops, as well as launching new season strawberries, salads and new potatoes. As part of the Celebrate Strawberry Season campaign, strawberry sampling took place while salad preparation and growing demonstrations provided the main sector theme for the entire feature this year. How to use new potatoes in potato salads was a sub-theme of the salad demonstrations. Alongside this a display of Irish honey was hosted within this feature, with beekeepers from the Irish Federation of Bee Keepers Associations (IFBKA) on hand to tell the story of Irish bees and honey making. A series of speakers took on the theme of healthy eating while practical 7-a-day demonstrations took place across the five days. ✽
HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Summer 2019
