The Exhibition News Awards return to Evolution London, Battersea Park on 20th March 2020 to showcase outstanding achievement within the UK and global exhibition industry. This year, amongst the audience, will be representatives from the Glee organising team as the garden retail exhibition’s ‘Retail Lab’ has been shortlisted for an award.

Billed as ‘serious awards, seriously celebrated’ a shortlisted nomination at the Exhibition Awards is an outstanding recognition for the Glee team. Three years in the making, the 2019 Retail Lab is up against eight other shortlisted entries in the category of ‘Best Feature Area’.  This award celebrates on-site features that provide a point of difference and add value to the visitor journey at the show.

The Retail Lab – created in partnership with the HTA, Romeo Sommers of ByRomeo as Creative Director, and GES as build contractors who made the concept come to life - has enjoyed a central role in the development of Glee since 2017. The feature was introduced to showcase the latest trends within garden retailing, whilst also providing retailers with hands on advice and inspirational content that they can take back to their own stores to drive sales in the coming season.  The shop-in-a-shop style layout provides a central point of inspiration at the exhibition, one that drew praise from the whole supply chain.

In 2019 the Retail Lab focused on two key themes ‘Shop’ and ‘Nature’, both of which were supported by eight key themes all of which represented key growth opportunities for garden retailers, whilst also addressing those issues that are shaping consumer spending habits. The area was also supported by sponsors such as Woodlodge, Scheurich, Key Essentials, Apta, Meadow View Stone, Verona, Laurica Plants, BPI Products, Ivyline, and Air So Pure.

Matthew Mein, Glee Event Director said: “The Retail Lab in 2019 was a great example of experiential content. The way the trends were communicated through product and ‘takeaway’ information, as well as the guided tours, added real tangible benefit for our visitors and was certainly a culmination of everything we have learnt since the area was first introduced in 2017. To have the feature recognised by the wider exhibition sector is testament to the hard work and talent that made the Retail Lab a reality. Fingers crossed for a win, though just being nominated it a real honour.”

The shortlisted nomination for the Retail Lab is a great way to wish this feature a fond farewell as it has been confirmed that in 2020 this central feature will be entering a new chapter, details of which are currently under wraps. Matthew Mein added: “After three years, now felt like the appropriate time to revise our onsite content and as such we are looking to launch an exciting new initiative that will take the concept of the Retail Lab to another level. Merchandising, retail best practice and inspirational content will remain at the heart of this new concept, and we’re excited to share more details very soon.”

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