There were kind words of praise during the ceremonial opening of the IPM Essen international horticultural trade fair on 27 January, with speeches by Silke Gorißen, Minister of Agriculture and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Eva Kähler-Theuerkauf, Chairwoman of the German horticultural interest group Zentralverband Gartenbau (Central Horticultural Association - ZVG). However, less positive sentiments could also be heard on the exhibition floor.
With 1,476 exhibitors, the number of participants at IPM Essen is slightly higher than in 2025. While this is a departure from the downward trend that has been going on for years, these numbers do not tell the whole story. It is the size of the stands that determines the “substance”. The aisles on the exhibition floor are becoming noticeably wider, and the various halls are visibly less crowded.
Ever fewer Dutch ornamentals growers are attending IPM, as becomes evident from the number of growers gathered around the Royal FloraHolland “pavilion”. In recent years, the “Holland” pavilion has been taking up less exhibition space and has become significantly less impressive, marking a stark contrast with the adjacent Landgard pavilion, which has many more participating growers. While this partly makes sense – this being the main German horticultural trade fair.
