Garden Show & Festival Site Report
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Garden Show & Festival Site Report RHS Chelsea Flower Show Authors: Bennis 1: Key Facts Name: RHS Chelsea Flower Show (outdoors) Show Category: Built show gardens, floral displays, sales, entertainment, food Location: Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3 4SL UK Venue: Parkland of the hospital grounds Gross Floor Area: 11 acres (4 hectares) Dates: 20-24 May 2014; 19-23 May 2015 Origins: 1862 for the first RHS Spring Show; 1833 for first RHS flower shows; first Chelsea Flower Show 1913 Theme: Five Days that Shape the Gardening Year (more of a title than theme) Opening Times: 20-23 May 08.00-20.00; 24 May 08.00-17.30 Ticket Prices: Tuesday 20 May All day Members only £68 3.30pm Members only £38 5.30pm Members only £28 Wednesday 21 May All day Members only £58 3.30pm Members only £36 5.30pm Members only £26 Thursday 22 May All day Members £45 3.30pm Members £32 5.30pm Members £23 All Day Public £58 3.30 Public £36 5.30 Public £30 Friday 23 May All day Members £45 3.30pm Members £32 5.30pm Members £23 All Day Public £58 3.30 Public £36 5.30 Public £30 Saturday 24 May All day Members £45 All day Public £58 Charity Gala Preview: Limited numbers with champagne, canapés and music. Tickets start at £392 for individual tickets; RHS members receive a £25 discount There are no group rates and all tickets must be booked in advance; there are no ticket sales at the gate. Members can book a total of four tickets at members price Public tickets subject to £2 fee per transaction. No fee for RHS members Children under five are free. Children 5+ pay full adult fee Show catalogue £8.00 2. Visitor Facts (2013) Number of Visitors: 157,000 (restricted/limited numbers) The Following figures are from the RHS web site for 2012 Age Groups: ≤ 54 35%; ≥55 65% Male/female %: 77% female; 23% male Socio-economic groups: Majority ABC1 (national average of ABC1 is 51%) AB 53% C1 29% C2 12% DE 7% Private Visitors: No information Professional Visitors: No information Reasons for Attendance: No information Visitor Assessment: No information Origin of Local Visitors: Majority are from the affluent southeast and home counties, almost as many visitors are from the rest of the country. 81% are from the UK; 19% from overseas with continental Europe being the largest market. Greater London 13% Rest of the southeast 29% Rest of UK 38% Total UK 81% Europe 9% Australia/New Zealand 6% USA/Canada 3% Rest of the world 1% Total Overseas 19% Home/Garden Ownership: No information Intention to invest in a garden: No information 3. Exhibitor Facts Total Number of Exhibitors: 550 Main Exhibitor Goals and Attainment: No information Rating ‘good’ to ‘very good’ No information Ratings of Target Visitor Groups No information Market Positioning No information 4: Location & Facilities 4.1 Access: There is good access by underground and bus. Parking is available in Battersea Park at £28/day, £18 after 15.00hrs. There is a shuttle bus service from Battersea Park. Sloane Square is the nearest underground station and the show is a ten minute walk from there. Note there is virtually no signposting for the show from Sloane Square station. There are bus services from to Sloane Square and the Royal Hospital from rail stations. 4.2 Facilities: The site is well equipped for visitors but it is at its maximum carrying capacity. Facilities include: children’s play area, baby changing facilities, banking, bike racks, first aid, gardening advice, information stands, first aid, lost children, lost property, meeting point, music & entertainment, plant crèches, plant porters, presentations & demonstrations, restaurants, bars, fast food, toilets 5: Exhibitions & Show Gardens 5.1: The layout of the show is substantially different from the shows at Hampton Court and Tatton. Show gardens and tradestands are located by road names. Plant and floral displays are generally within The Great Pavilion. Other tradestands and the Artisan gardens are located within the area to the east of main show gardens in Ranelagh Gardens, a more informal semi-wooded area with food concessions and picnic areas. 5.2: Show Gardens 15 Show Gardens: located on Main Avenue, Rock Garden Bank, Royal Hospital way, and Triangle Demonstrate the latest ideas in garden design with designers from around the world. These are the largest of the display gardens 5.3: Fresh Gardens 10 Fresh Gardens: located on Fresh and Royal Hospital Way. These gardens have been kept tightly together. These represent the latest in contemporary design and materials. 5.4: Artisan Gardens 7 Artisan Gardens: located in Ranelagh Gardens to the east of the main site. Site is more informal and encourages designs to take a more artistic and naturalistic approach. These are the smallest of the display gardens 5.5: The Great Pavilion Considered to be the centrepiece of the RHS Show Discovery is a new area for 2014 and replaces the RHS Environment. Focus is on plant science and education 15 Discovery displays. Some titles are: Our Planet Presents the Butterfly Effect, Plants Need Passports Too, The Techno Allotment, Small is Plentiful, Petals & Pests: Using plants to control Insects 97 exhibitors ranging from nurseries supplying roses, perennials, iris, bulbs, clematis, chrysanthemum, bonsai, alpines, etc Displays for the RHS Chelsea Florist (16 entries) &RHS Young Chelsea Florist (16 entries) of the Year competitions. 5.6: Garden Product of the Year 2013 winner was Flexi Spray from Hozelock. Seventeen companies were shortlisted for 2014. The following is from https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/2014- stories/chelsea-product-year Bosch Lawn and Garden and Harrod Horticultural have been named joint winners of the RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year competition. This is the first time that the prestigious award has gone to two winners. Bosch Lawn and Garden was recognised for the Isio Shape and Edge Shear, while Harrod Horticultural was awarded for its Harrod Slot & Lock Storm Proof Vegetable Cages. 6: Associated/Parallel Events 6.1 Music Programme: There are ten music groups that range from opera and classical music to jazz. The programme giving times and locations are in the show catalogue as well as being posted within the show grounds. 6.2 Talks and Presentations: There is an extensive programme delivered by often well- known celebrities, national and international. 6.3 London Shop Displays: A number of shops, particularly in the Sloane Square area, have floral displays in their shop windows. 6.4 RHS Activities: The RHS has an extensive programme of lectures, garden openings, advice facilities, educational courses and other shows in different parts of the country. 7:Awards 7.1 Award Grades From: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox and 2014 Show Catalogue There are four grades of award presented, gold, silver-gilt, silver and bronze, in each of the categories listed below. Bronze grade exhibits do not actually receive a medal. There is no limit to the number of medals that can be awarded within each grade-displays are judged according to set criteria. The RHS Gold medal can be awarded to any type of exhibit. If an exhibit is judged to be below Bronze standard, no award is made. 7.2 Awards categories The Diamond Jubilee Award for the best exhibit in the Great Pavilion: South Est in Bloom RHS President's Award: Birmingham City Council Best Show Garden Award: Laurent-Perrier Garden Best Artisan Garden: Tokenkyo-A Paradise on Earth Best Fresh Garden: The Mind’s Eye Best RHS Discovery Exhibition: Sparsholt College RHS Floral Arrangement Trophies RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year RHS Young Chelsea Florist of the Year Best Floral Arrangement Exhibit (1st Session) Best Floral Arrangement Exhibit (2nd Session) RHS Plant of the Year 2014: Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Miss Saori’ RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the year 2014: Bosch Lawn & Garden, & Harrod Horticultural The Director General’s Award for the DG’s favourite tradestand: Kahora Ltd BBC / RHS People's Choice Award: Show Garden: Hope on the Horizon BBC / RHS People's Choice Award: Fresh Garden: The Mind’s Eye BBC / RHS People's Choice Award: Artisan Garden: Tour de Yorkshire 7.3 Garden exhibits are judged on: Design: layout, spatial balance, scale Atmosphere: unique character, originality, flair Impact, Originality, Theatre, Scale, Objectives Delivery: have the design objectives been achieved, level of challenge Construction: Material selection, Quality, Workmanship, Finish, detail Planting: Plant association, impact, texture, form, coverage 7.4 The Great Pavilion exhibits are judged on: Plants: Colour and texture, quality, health (pest & disease free), identification, association and relevance, range Overall Impression: Impact, unity, balance and scale, design, colour and texture, finish of the exhibit, edging and labelling Endeavour: level of difficulty, use of props, difficulty of growing plants, originality/new ideas Information/interpretation: knowledge portrayal, clarity, well-researched message, signage, illustration, take home message 7.5 Tradestands are judged on: A good quality finish Compliance with RHS regulations Horticultural enhancement A tidy appearance Scale endeavour Endeavour Levels of difficulty in creating display, props, difficulty in growing plants, originality, new ideas 7.6 Education exhibits are also judged on an additional category: Information/interpretation Knowledgeable portrayal, clarity, well researched message, signage, take home message 8: Exhibitor Terms & Conditions Terms, conditions and contracts are available through: [email protected] When a request for an application pack is made, the RHS will contact the applicant for a discussion on their proposal. 9: Exhibitor Contracts As No 8 above. 10: Show History The Show increased in popularity throughout the second half of the century – until its popularity became its major problem.