| EVENT REPORT 03.10.09 11:55 AM |
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| In Full Bloom |
| At this year's Belgard Chicago Flower and Garden Show, the displays are smaller, lusher, and logoed. |
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The Belgard Chicago Flower and Garden Show opened to the public on Saturday, March 7, and will remain stationed in Navy Pier's Festival Hall through Sunday, March 15. Organizers expect to see roughly 60,000 guests at the show, where attractions include cooking demos from local chefs, tabletops designed by area florists, and the Kid's Activity garden, where tots can learn to make edible dirt cups. Then, of course, there are the gardens—this year, about 20 of them, most about a year in the making.
Tony Abruscato, show director and president of Special Events Management, said he hopes for an even longer lead time in years to come. "Our goal is to plan two plus years in advance," he said. "Our displays are not banners or foam cutouts—they're live plants that have to be grown in greenhouses. If you plan ahead, you're not paying for certain plants to be shipped down from Canada [at the last moment]." |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | At the show's entrance, a flower-studded sculpture hangs above a fountain.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | In one of the gardens, small paving stones showcase sponsor logos.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | In the Tablescapes portion of the show, Phillips Flowers's design features a giant globe and stargazer lilies.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | For its Tablescapes display, M&M the Special Events Company used strands of iridescent crystals, multicolored lights, and white and lavender orchids.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | White flowers and manzanita branches spruce up the Whole Foods Market South Loop's Tablescapes design.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | White linens and colorful vases fill Simply Elegant Florist and Event Co.'s Tablescapes display.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | The Belgard Hardscapes Photo Competition garden displays the work of amateur artists from around the Midwest.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | A large Buddha head sits outside the display area dubbed "Reflections: A Spirited Garden of Asian Inspiration."
Photo: BizBash |
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 | Several local retailers—including lumber, lighting, and barbecue stores—collaborated on the Rooftop Garden of the Future display.
Photo: BizBash |
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 | Staffers from the Garfield Park and Lincoln Park conservatories collaborated on the Greening Up garden, which features plants from all four seasons.
Photo: BizBash |
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During the planning process, show organizers also focus on pulling in sponsorships. This year, they were "more difficult to garner," Abruscato said. "The financial and auto industries [have traditionally been] our big sponsors."
Although the 2009 show will go without the support of some past backers, it is also benefiting from a "slow surge of new sponsorship," Abruscato said. "In this economic environment, garden growers are saying, 'We have to do something, so let's try exhibiting.'" This year's garden displays are smaller than those of past years, coming in at about 40 by 90 feet instead of the usual 40 by 120 feet. But according to Abruscato, "they're still very lush. Our garden partners want to maximize their exposure, and so they've added everything from fountains and waterfalls to 20-foot-tall weeping white pines."
Beside each display, oversize signage showcases the names of the companies that helped to create it. Sponsors are also recognized throughout the show with overhead banners and branded paving stones that line the entrance. And at a concession stand outside Festival Hall, a small garden features the Sierra Mist logo spelled out in white flowers.
—Jenny Berg
RELATED TOPICS
Sierra Mist
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