National Lawn & Garden Show reports successful 2011 event

Over 6,000 face to face appointments took place in less than three days between buyers and vendors of the lawn, garden and pet industries at the 2011 National Lawn & Garden Show held June 14-16 at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare.

For 17 years, National Lawn & Garden Show has paired buyers and vendors in face-to-face, preset, scheduled appointments. Over 250 attendees met for 10 minute sessions throughout the event, allowing some attendees to have as many as 40-50 total scheduled appointments.

“I prefer the meeting format versus standing in a booth and hoping someone stops in,” said Brad Yount, DeWitt Company. “It’s an incredibly productive and economical choice for our company, and that is why we have attended for the past 17 years.”

The 2011 event saw a rise in the number of international vendors and buyers and also a new Pet Products Division was added to the show lineup. The event is known for bringing in the “mid tier” buyers who inclusively represent 90 percent of the merchandising opportunities in the U.S. Historically, NLGS has had 14 out of the top 20 lawn and garden retailers in the U.S. attend the annual NLGS event.

The 2012 event will be held June 10-12 at the Embassy Suites in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.nlgshow.com.