CT Flower & Garden Show 2021 in Hartford canceled
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The longtime producer of the Connecticut Flower & Garden Show in Hartford has canceled its February 2021 event, because of uncertainty about the impact of the COVID-19 on events during the next five months.
The longtime producer of the Connecticut Flower & Garden Show in Hartford has canceled its February 2021 event, because of uncertainty about the impact of the COVID-19 on events during the next five months.
Photo: Connecticut Flower & Garden Show / Contributed Photo
The longtime producer of the Connecticut Flower & Garden Show in Hartford has canceled its February 2021 event, because of uncertainty about the impact of the COVID-19 on events during the next five months.
The longtime producer of the Connecticut Flower & Garden Show in Hartford has canceled its February 2021 event, because of uncertainty about the impact of the COVID-19 on events during the next five months.
Photo: Connecticut Flower & Garden Show / Contributed Photo
The longtime producer of the Connecticut Flower & Garden Show today announced the cancelation of its February 2021 event, in response to uncertainty about the impact of the COVID-19 on events during the next five months.
Considered one of New England’s top flower shows, the 40th annual edition was scheduled to take place from Thursday, Feb. 25, through Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
“This has been a very difficult decision but we believe that, as of now, we would be unable to produce a successful Connecticut Flower & Garden Show at the Connecticut Convention Center this February,” Kristie Gonsalves, President of North East Expos, Inc. and a past president of the National Association of Consumer Show Producers, said in a news release. “I want to be sure we have a safe and profitable environment for all and it would be unfair to ask attendees and exhibitors — many of them small family businesses, like mine — to jeopardize their health and financial well-being just to continue with a tradition … even this beautiful, joyful one.
“Our show utilizes every inch of space in the convention center’s Exhibition Hall as well as several seminar rooms, and employing socially distanced booths, one-way aisles, and limiting the number of people inside at any one time would not only be difficult, but could affect the bottom line of hundreds of quality exhibitors, landscapers and vendors, some of whom travel here from across the country,” Gonsalves said. “They count on our show to generate over 40,000 eager attendees so they can display, promote and sell their services and products. For them, substantially reduced foot traffic would be extremely detrimental.
“An expansive live garden show like this involves months and months of advance production, including the confirmations of booth participants and expert speakers, with landscapers and members of the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut preparing eight to nine months in advance to create impressive displays and exhibits,” Gonsalves