Members of the Garden Centre Association (GCA) can put their marketing campaigns and initiatives to the test as part of the organisation’s annual Worrall Cup competition (January, 2020).

The Association will be awarding a cup to the garden centre with the best marketing campaign during its annual conference at the Mercure Bristol, Grand Hotel in Bristol (January 26 until 29, 2020).

Iain Wylie, chief executive of the GCA, said: “Our member garden centres are a creative bunch and we run our Worrall Cup competition annually to decide who has the most flair and creativity when it comes to their marketing campaigns and initiatives.

“Our judges are always astounded by the amount of effort that goes into the campaigns and always look for those that are inspirational to other members too.

“If any of our members think they’ve got what it takes to win the cup, they should submit their entries before the deadline of Friday, January 17, 2020.

“The entries will be judged by an independent panel with marketing expertise. As this award is not influenced by the annual inspection, all entries have an equal chance of winning in January when the judging panel meets to assess the merits of each submission and decide the winner.”

Members are asked to submit an entry by completing a short form, which can be downloaded from www.gca.org.uk or requested by email, to the GCA office no later than Friday, January 17, 2020.

The submission of supporting material, such as photographs, print examples and web-links is encouraged. An additional sheet of written detail is acceptable along with the entry form, if required. Entries can be sent electronically via info@gca.org.uk or by post to the GCA office.

Iain added: “The winner will be announced during our Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony at our annual conference on the evening of Tuesday, January 28. The conference will take place at the Mercure Bristol, Grand Hotel in Bristol from January 26 until 29, 2020.

“As always our conference will provide attendees with pertinent information on key aspects of the garden centre industry to assist members in achieving their business goals.

“The information shared will focus on a wide range of topics, including merchandising, marketing and management. There will also be plenty of opportunities for delegates to network and socialise.”

The deadline for Worrall Cup entries is 5pm on Friday, January 17, 2020.