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Travel Report: Trendy Tropical :: Catherine Evans
Published:4/1/2008
With nearly 7,500 industry professionals representing 46 states, two U.S. territories and 54 countries, the 36th annual Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition (TPIE) was held at the Broward County Convention Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, January 18-20. We were greeted by three 8-ft. tropical plant towers and attendees who were dressed for Hawaiian shirt day and ready to see what was new in the tropical plant and foliage category.
Each year TPIE presents several booth awards as well as new product and plant introduction awards. Vendors did a fantastic job using their creative juices to make this year’s show even more visually appealing than previous years. Here are the 2008 winners:
Booth Winners
Best of Show: Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses, Inc.
100 sq. ft. Exhibitor: Rush Creek Designs, Inc.
200 sq. ft. Exhibitor: Bullis Bromeliads
300 sq. ft. + Exhibitor: Acosta Farms, Inc.
Island Exhibitor: Kerry’s Bromeliad Nursery, Inc.
New Product Awards
Favorite New Foliage Plant: Aglaonema Pink Sapphire (Twyford International/Kerry’s)
Favorite New Flowering Plant: Medinilla scortechinii (Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery, Inc.)
Favorite New Product: Poly Pebbles (Primescape Products Co.)
Most Unusual Single Plant: Euphorbia stenoclada (Boynton Botanicals)
TPIE is always top notch when it comes to trends, and we found plenty of ideas and themes to pick up on. For instance, a number of companies had their booths focused on sustainability issues—such as First Foliage, Florikan and Temkin International, to name a few. Sustainability was so important this year that FNGLA put together a Sustainability Solutions Showcase (sponsored by Ball Publishing and Ball Horticultural Company) that included products such as biodegradable and eco-friendly plant sleeves (Temkin), fertilizer (Florikan), self-watering pots (Penang Nursery), coco liners (Pride Garden Products), plant growth activators (Ball), Ellepots (Blackmore), water-saving products (Floral Marketing Solutions) and biodegradable pots (Ball).
Other than the main topic of sustainability, some of the relevant trends at this year’s show included:
•The home décor craze—indoor gifts, accessories and so much more.
•Everything about TPIE was full of color, and not just the plants, either.
•Succulents were the talk of the trade.
•Gift plants. Take a smaller plant, put it in a nice pot or package and there you go.
•Unique plants such as Gingko biloba, Codiaeum variegatum or Spathoglottis Sorbet Plum Passion to name a few.
Words only tell so much when talking about a colorful, diverse event such as TPIE. So, check out the photos we took to help you better understand the interesting trends that we saw. Hey, you never know what kinds of ideas they might inspire you to come up with to make your product line THE hot ticket item everyone wants to sell in their stores.