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]."
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.
