Source: www.TurfMagazine.com
trade show from Jan. 8 – 10, 2014 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Thousands of buyers, shoppers, and horticultural industry leaders and businesses gathered for networking and business opportunities.
"We are so thankful to have completed another successful year of the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show," said Vanessa Finney, Executive Vice President of MANTS. "Each year we look forward to coming back to Baltimore to host the show. The Convention Center, as well as Visit Baltimore and the hotels we use in the area, are always so supportive and wonderful to work with. While the record low cold temperatures across the country did affect the show, it certainly did not dampen the spirits of those who were there."
Green Industry companies and professionals from 48 states and 7 additional countries exhibited at or attended MANTS in 2014. There were 10,352 paid registrants for the show which included 967 exhibiting companies spread out over the 300,000-plus square feet of contiguous exhibit space at the Baltimore Convention Center. More than 3,100 buying (non-exhibiting) companies were represented.
MANTS proved to be a beneficial marketplace again for businesses in attendance this year, with many selling out the products they advertised at their booths. For one nursery from Oregon, the trip was well worth it: "Within the first couple hours of the show we sold out our booth," said Tammie Yoerger from Boyko Nursery, a wholesale plant nursery in Boring, Ore. "The sales covered all of our shipping costs back home. MANTS is definitely one of the bigger and most professional trade shows we have been too, we are just happy to be here."
MANTS also welcomed various special guests over its three days including the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Secretary Earl F. "Buddy" Hance. Secretary Hance attended industry meetings held at the Convention Center and toured the show floor with the Maryland Agriculture Commission.
"We felt it was important to bring the Maryland Agriculture Commission here to show the size and quality of this show and how important it is to not only the Maryland Landscape and Nursery Industry but how important it is to the entire country," said Secretary Hance. "Exhibitors are here from across the country showing their products; this show contributes about $11 million to the economy when it is going on. MANTS is vitally important to Maryland’s agriculture sector and that’s why we are here today, to promote the importance of it."
Next year, MANTS will take place from Jan. 14 – 16, 2015 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Check www.mants.com or Twitter.com/MANTSBaltimore for updates and news on the show over the next year.