2019-10-14

Fleuroselect Home & Garden Conference 2019 in Zuchwil, Switzerland

Fleuroselect Home & Garden Conference 2019 in Zuchwil, Switzerland
 
Author:
Managing Director Media Concept Group

More than 80 participants from many European countries came to Zuchwil in the canton of Solothurn on 4 and 5 September 2019. They followed the invitation of the international breeding organization Fleuroselect and its two Swiss members, Wyss Samen and Media Concept Schweiz AG. In this blog post, we like to give an overview of this event, which was held for the 10th time.

The conference's motto was "Sharing Swiss Success". With this slogan, the organizers wanted to point out special features that distinguish the Swiss seed trade and horticulture clearly from the rest of Europe. In five presentations and two company tours, the participants were able to gain a comprehensive overview of what "Swiss success" means.

Hans Walter Müller (Wyss Seeds and Plants) also welcomed the participants in the name of Media Concept Switzerland and was pleased to accompany another Fleuroselect Meeting in Switzerland after almost 30 years. In his lecture, he talked about the centenary company history of Wyss seeds and plants and explained the diverse business fields. Structural changes and megatrends present challenges to GREEN TRADE, but at the same time offer opportunities, says Hans Walter Müller.

Robert Wacker (Media Concept Switzerland AG) focussed in his presenation on the Swiss horticultural market and consumer trends. The high satisfaction with one's own life situation (75% of all citizens) and the simultaneous respect for nature are only two, of the many peculiarities that distinguish Swiss consumers clearly from consumers in other countries.

Sally van der Horst (Managing Director of Fleuroselect) was particularly pleased with the commitment of Paolo Balzarini (Category Field Manager Plants at Migros). The largest retailer in Switzerland is also a pioneer when it comes to organic products. Mr Balzarini explained the decades of Migros activities in this area and spanned the period until 2019. It was particularly interesting for the attending entrepreneurs and executives to hear directly from a large retailer which requirements are addressed by a large retailer.

'Old varieties - they still exist'! With this slogan, many seed traders throughout Europe promote their "old varieties". Again, Switzerland offers a completely different model; Pro Specie Rara! This organisation cares about preserving the genetics of old varieties and has thousands of members. Pro Specie Rara CEO, Bela Bartha explained the tasks and goals of the organization.

An unusual feature is the handling of cannabis in Switzerland. The Managing Director of Pharmedic (Benjamin Rutz) explained the market, the products and the legal situation. The participants were impressed by the clear differences to other European countries.

In the afternoon of the first day of the conference, the trial and show gardens of Pro Specie Rara in Basel were visited. The nice get-together on the evening of the first conference day offered the perfect opportunity for professional exchange among colleagues.

On the second day of the conference the Wyss trial gardens, the garden center and the seed wholesale were visited. Hans Walter Müller, Marcel Burri and Sandra Waibel guided the visitors through the various parts of the business and gave a comprehensive overview of the operating activities in the Wyss business units.

All participants were very enthusiastic about the two-day event and the organizers received a lot of praise from all sides.

 

Author:
Robert Wacker
Managing Director Media Concept Group
Robert Wacker has been working in the green industry since 1980. For 20 years, he has been developing marketing and sales concepts for breeders, producers and retailers. As Managing Director of all international affairs for the Media Concept Group, he regularly writes articles for this blog.

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