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| Presentation on first exhibition day by SMB chairman Loek Hermans Retail inspiration’s 'Be Aware Get Better' - Wins HORTI FAIR Innovation Award 2008 |
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| Amsterdam, 16 October 2008 – The international trade jury has conferred the Horti Fair Innovation Award 2008 on Retail Inspiration’s ‘Be Aware Get Better’: six innovative marketing concepts based on the theme of sustainability. The award was presented during the official opening of the Horti Fair in Amsterdam RAI by Loek Hermans, chairman of the Dutch Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses. 'Be Aware Get Better', which won the Trade/Services category, was chosen as the best innovative product at the fair in preference to the other three category winners: ‘Vitro-Plug 126’ of Vitro Plus (Supplies category), ‘Knook Ecoo Box’ of Knook Energy Solutions International (Technology category) and the Lisianthus ‘Adom Red Picotee’ of Combinations (Production category). The winner of the Innovation Award receives not only tremendous publicity and international attention but also a media package worth € 10,000 offered by the organisers International Horti Fair and Reed Business. 18 of the almost 400 new products registered with Horti Fair were shortlisted for the Innovation Award in a preliminary round. These were divided among four categories. After selecting the winner of each of the four categories, the jury finally chose ‘Be Aware Get Better’ as the overall winner. Jury: get more out of the market According to jury chairman Gijs Kok, an argument that weighed heavily with the trade jury in choosing Retail Inspiration was the market-based approach underlying ‘Be Aware Get Better’ (stand 07.0706). This is in keeping with the present need of the horticultural industry as a whole to get more out of the market and with the shift from cost-price-oriented thinking to a marketing-based approach designed to maximise income. In addition, the six concepts have been developed around the guiding principle of sustainability, to which consumers are attaching increasing importance. What’s more, the way in which these concepts have been displayed at the fair is both striking and inspiring.’ ‘Be Aware Get Better’ is the overall name for six concepts exhibited at the Retail Inspiration stand. ‘Be Digi’ is a Big Plant Order Point (BPOP), a digital order pillar that makes it easier for customers to order big plants and thus meets the need of retailers to sell these plants. ‘Be Fair’ is a retail concept that combines the origin of plants from different parts of the world with the personal touch of the growers (aimed at the Pink Ribbon). ‘Be Green’ is a cradle-to-cradle concept: in other words, a concept in which all parts and materials can be re-absorbed into nature. ‘Be Positive’ is a concept for retail channels and makes use of existing production techniques. Finally, ‘Be Pure’ stands for sustainability at its most pure and shows that it is possible to offer a complete solution to retailers who wish to add organic, ecological and seasonal produce and added value to their product range. Retail Inspiration (an initiative of FloraHolland, Horti Fair and Bloemenbureau Holland) has been arranged at the Horti Fair by Make (Geert Maas and Ton Keetels) from Schijndel, under the direction of project manager Saskia Sanders. Category winners The Vitro-Plug 126 of Vitro Plus (stand 08.0104) was chosen as the winner of the Supplies category. The jury considered it to be an excellent example of an efficiency improvement as it eliminates a link in the production chain. Other factors are its use of IT, the potential for wider applications in the market and the scope for export opportunities. The Knook Ecoo Box of Knook Energy Solutions (stand (01.0321), which came first in the Technology category, is a new CO2 capture process based on flue gases from a gas-fired boiler or CHP engine fitted with a catalytic gas purification system. The jury emphasised its innovative character in the knowledge that glass horticulture has a great need of pure CO2. In the Production category first prize went to the single-flowered Lisianthus ‘Adom Red Picotee’. The jury was swayed by the striking colour of the flower (white edged with maroon), the seemingly flamed pattern, the attractive bud and the strong stems. Other shortlisted exhibitors The other shortlisted entries for the Horti Fair Innovation Award 2008 were: - Florecom (stand 04.0212): international XML Standards for the floriculture sector; - Florimex International / Sierafor (stand 07.1205): Ezyconcept; - Genap B.V. (stand 04.0114): GenaFlexstore®; - GroGlass SIA (stand 01.0206): GroGlass™ AR; - Ridder Drive Systems (stand 01.0602): Ridder GapControl; - Helle Oy (stand 01.0323): Hel-Turn Lamp; - ISO Groep Machinebouw (stand no. 11.0118): grafting machine; - Clean Light BC/Wanjet/Eric Gerritsma horticultural mechanisation/Berg Product (stand nos. 11.0316/11.0417 and 01.0339): UV Crop Protection Robot; - PakSense (stand 01.0243): PakSense Ultra Contact Label; - Könst Alstroemeria/Dutch Creations (stand no. 07.0106): Alstroemeria Himalaya; - Bartels Roses (stand 07.0409): Rosa Zazu; - Deroose Plants (stand 08.0306): Guzmania ‘Candy’; - De Ruiter Innovations (stand 07.0810): Hypericum Hypearls - HilverdaKooij (stand 07.0502): Antirrhinum Florini series Independent international trade jury The independent, international jury consists of Gijs Kok (jury chairman and Centre Manager of FloraHolland Naaldwijk), Jeroen van Buren (Greenhouse Horticulture Manager at DLV Plant BV), Heinrich Dressler (Gb Das Magazin für Zierpflanzenbau, Germany), Pascal Fayolle (Lien Horticole, France), Cor van de Kaay (vegetable grower), Frank Kempkes (technology researcher at Wageningen, Greenhouse Technology Department), Eric Moor (pot plant grower), Steven Vale (Commercial Greenhouse Grower, Great Britain), Jan Water (Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) and, for the first time this year, Geert van Oosterhout (Director of LTO Groeiservice). New products trail, opening hours and admission discount All winners, shortlisted products and other new products and services can be recognised at the International Horti Fair by the Horti Fair New logo. As this is also shown beside the stand numbers and on the floor plans, the visitors can follow a real ‘new products trail’ through the 80,000 sq.m. of the horticultural fair. The Horti Fair, the busiest event for horticulture professionals, is open from 10.00 hrs to 19.00 hrs from Tuesday 14 October to Friday 17 October. |
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