The Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association is expecting over 6,000 visitors at its annual Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition Jan. 21-23 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. More than 400 exhibitors in a live-plant, indoor garden covering 200,000 square feet will greet attendees from the United States and 15 other countries at the 42nd edition of the trade show.

“By attending TPIE, I stay on top of my market segment and catch up in person with other plant experts, merchandisers and the ‘who’s who’ of the industry,” said Rene van Rems, AIFD designer, consultant, educator and author from Carlsbad, CA.

The opening session featured speaker is Christine Boland from Amsterdam, Holland, an international trend watcher and analyst, who will highlight social, fashion and retail trends and help attendees understand how they can use these trends in their own businesses. According to show organizers, Boland “uses exciting visual storytelling to inspire original thinking and bridge the present to the future.”

The Create Theater, presented by the American Institute of Floral Designers, offers two free workshops each day, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. The morning session Jan. 21 is “A Touch of Glass” where designers will feature multiple ideas combining glass and plants; the afternoon session is “TPIE’s Foliage Designer Duel” where three top AIFD designers compete using plants and products they borrow from TPIE exhibit booths; morning session Jan. 22 is “Plant Props: Thrift Store Finds Repurposed” with foliage designers creatively repurposing the old, making it new with plants; in the afternoon it’s “Plants Redux” and designers will share ideas about rethinking plants that are seemingly not viable and making them sellable again; Jan. 23 in the morning its “Art Brought to Life,” where designers will interpret the artistic qualities of fabrics, paintings and photographs using plants, and offering ideas for store merchandising; the afternoon session is “Interactive Arts Meet Plant Art,” a dynamic presentation combining several mediums of interactive art with the art of plants.

“The focus of TPIE is to ‘Inspire, Innovate and Create,’” said TPIE chairwoman Theresa Riley. “We’re excited at the numerous opportunities for TPIE to inspire new thinking, innovate with new products and create new partnerships. TPIE is all about new trends, new products and new relationships.”

The TPIE Exhibitor Showcase, located within the Innovation Lounge on the exhibit floor, will display the newest plants and products that the industry has to offer and visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorite new plant or product; winners’ awards will be presented Jan. 22.

“The mobile app is a great way to plan ahead for the trip,” Jennifer Nelis, director of communications and public relations at FNGLA, said. You can log on, create your account and stay connected before, during and after the show with the app. For more information, go to http://m.tpie.org.