Discussions with participants revealed concerns about the economic situation, uncertain markets and rising requirements in production and marketing. People are less inclined to make investments. There were positive comments about participation in the IPM. The first three days were well attended and meaningful contacts were made.. “IPM ESSEN is the central international platform for orientation, exchange and future solutions,” summarises Oliver P. Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen. “Networking within the horticultural industry is essential today – the key to identifying trends early, finding answers together to structural challenges and consistently seizing new opportunities.”

41% of the visitors came from abroad.The largest visitor group was from The Netherlands

From 27 to 30 January, almost 40,000 trade visitors attended the trade fair.With 1,476 exhibiting companies, IPM ESSEN 2026 recorded three per cent more exhibitors than the previous year. Feedback from the visitor survey underlines IPM ESSEN’s importance as an international decision-makers’ platform. 41 per cent of respondents travelled from abroad. Among international trade visitors, the Netherlands formed the largest visitor group, followed by Italy and other European markets such as the Czech Republic, Belgium, France and Romania. Great Britain/Northern Ireland, Spain and the USA were also among the most important countries of origin. At the same time, the trade fair was a place for concrete business initiation: at the time of the survey, 22 per cent of trade visitors stated that they place orders directly at IPM ESSEN. A further 63 per cent plan purchases afterwards on the basis of the contacts and information gained. Visitor quality remained high: 68 per cent of respondents described themselves as decision-makers.

Sustainable horticulture and new approaches to customer engagement

Peat-reduced and environmentally friendly substrates were not only a key topic at exhibition stands at IPM ESSEN. At the International Plant Fair in Essen, the first “round table” discussions on phasing out the use of peat and possible alternatives were launched. Direct exchange among all stakeholders was the focus – practical, solution-oriented and with clearly high attention. At a high-level meeting of the green associations, Silvia Breher, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, also answered participants’ questions – a visible sign that IPM ESSEN also serves as a dialogue platform at the interface between industry organisations and politics.