This year’s edition of the garden and outdoor living trade show Glee, which takes place in from June 28 to June 30 at NEC Birmingham, will welcome a number of new initiatives designed to help the event’s exhibitors and visitors ‘give back’ and protect the planet, reduce waste, and raise vital funds for the industry’s charity, Greenfingers.

Grow My Tree

With sustainability no longer an option but an imperative, Glee is on a mission to help everyone at the exhibition fight climate change by planting trees with its official climate partner Grow My Tree. Attendees will be able to plant a tree free of charge. Grow My Tree will work with one of its local operators in the global south (Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania) where the environmental, social and economic leverage is greatest, and the impact of each tree planted will take effect quickest. A code to access this ‘free tree’ offer will be provided to all attendees post-event.

Exhibitors will also be offered the opportunity to purchase up to 440 trees at a discounted rate, helping to offset almost 100% of annual CO₂ emissions, with every tree absorbing upwards of 22kg of CO₂ per year. (This is an average value and depends on individual annual CO₂ consumption and the annual CO₂ sequestration time of the trees planted). Further details on how to purchase these trees can be found in the E-Zone.

Show your love for Greenfingers

Time to dig out your boldest floral shirt, dainty flowery dress and everything in-between, as Floral Thursday is back and ready to raise funds for Greenfingers: a national charity dedicated to supporting children who spend time in hospices around the UK. Its aim is to create inspiring gardens for them and their families to relax in and benefit from.

Taking place on Thursday June 30 – the final day of Glee – Floral Thursday is a special fundraising activity where it is hoped that visitors and exhibitors will come together to show their flower power in aid of Greenfingers’ ongoing fundraising activities. Anyone wearing floral patterns – from ties to socks to shirts and suits – will be invited to buy a raffle ticket for a prize draw to win fabulous prizes while, more importantly, helping to top up the annual fundraising total of the charity. At Glee 2021, Floral Thursday raised over £2,000, and an even larger total is hoped for this year.

Further supporting the charity, entries into the Glee New Products Showcase in 2022 can help to raise funds. Any brand that enters the awards can donate their product sample, where it will be auctioned by Greenfingers’ Bedford-based auction partners, W&H Peacock. Similar auctions have raised thousands of pounds for the charity.

Taking steps to reduce waste onsite

Becoming more sustainable is a key part of the development of Glee, which is why the organiser will be working closely with the NEC and all of its suppliers to ensure steps are taken to reduce the potentially negative environmental impact that each event cycle can have.

Guided by the NEC Sustain Policy – an all-encompassing sustainability programme that focuses on the different elements that make up the reality of an exhibition including energy, waste and food – Glee will look to minimise everything, from a reliance on plastic to introducing more water fountains, and even sourcing catering from local suppliers to minimise food miles.

Glee will also be working with Event Cycle to help exhibitors remove and repurpose items that would otherwise have been thrown away. Event Cycle helps reduce waste from events and create a positive social impact in the process. Items donated by exhibitors are given to charity and community groups, as well as back into the events industry. Exhibitors can find out more about this initiative by visiting the Exhibitor Manual.

Introducing onsite welfare rooms

New for 2022, anyone at Glee will be able to access a dedicated onsite welfare room. It will provide a quiet place to take a break, or give additional support to anyone that needs it, no matter the reason.

Have you registered yet?

Register now and get planning for Glee 2022. With e-tickets available to access via email or your mobile device, accessing Glee could not be easier or quicker.

Find out more

To keep up to date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com

To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2022, call 0203 3545 9752.