BBC comedian to compere GCA awards dinner Radio and TV comedian Jo Caulfield will be compering our conference awards’ dinner this month (January, 2018). Jo, who is also a comedy writer, has worked on some of the biggest shows and with some of the top names in British comedy. Not only has Jo been the…
Houseplant sales continue to bloom in run up to Christmas Sales in houseplants have continued to rise for a second month in a row according to our Barometer of Trade (BoT) report for November (2017). Compared to the same month last year (2016), houseplant sales were up 19.05% and outdoor plants followed close behind with…
Former England rugby player Matt Dawson at our conference Former England rugby player Matt Dawson MBE will share his team building and personal commitment expertise with delegates at our 52nd annual conference in Warwickshire in January (January 21 until 24, 2018). One of England’s most capped players of all time, Matt was a scrum half…
Shark Warrior to get jaws wagging at our conference Following the BBC’s successful Blue Planet II series, we have secured a guest speaker passionate about shark conservation for our annual conference in January (2018). Lesley Rochat, known as the Shark Warrior, is the founder of Shark Warrior Adventures and AfriOceans, a non-profit organisation, and she…
Bank of England economist to speak conference World-renowned economist, Roger Martin-Fagg will be speaking at our conference in Warwickshire this January. Roger, who also presented to attendees in 2014, will be focusing on making economics accessible for non-economists and helping management teams think through their strategy during his session with delegates on January 23. We’re…
Entrepreneur & Sewing Bee judge backs creativity at our Conference The dapper-suited entrepreneur made famous for his role as a judge on BBC’s ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’ is speaking at our 2018 conference. As well as appearing on TV, and despite having no fashion experience and being an engineer by trade, Patrick Grant is…
Our festive display winners are announced Bents Garden and Home and Castle Gardens have recently (November, 2017) been announced as the national winners of our annual Christmas competition. The garden centres were judged to have the best festive displays in the country by us and will receive their awards at our annual conference in January.…
Houseplants see a resurgence with younger generation Houseplants have seen a resurgence within the younger generation according to our Barometer of Trade (BoT) report for October (2017). Compared to the same month last year (2016), sales were up 14.27%. Houseplants have become fashionable again with the younger generation as they need a lot less care…
Former UK Ambassador 1st speaker unveiled for our 2018 conference Former UK Ambassador Charles Crawford has been announced this month (November) as the first speaker booked for our 52nd annual conference in Warwickshire in January (January 21 until 24, 2018). Garden centre owners, managers and their teams who attend the event in Stratford-upon-Avon will be offered…
Ruxley Rose judge sees ‘plant area confidence’ THE 20 finalists in our Ruxley Rose competition have recently (November, 2017) been judged and there is strong evidence of continued enthusiasm for selling plants at member centres. The two winners, judged to have the best plant areas, will be announced during our annual conference at The Crowne…