MANTS happy with flat showing in 2011

Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS), which ran Jan. 5-7 in Baltimore, attracted at least 10,300 attendees and around 3,400 exhibitors. These numbers are fairly flat from last year. Final numbers, when available, may show increases of a few percentage points, said MANTS representative Kelly Finney.

Attendance at trade events across the country, not just in the horticulture sector, are down, he said. So flat attendance is looked at as a positive.

“Flat is the new black,” Finney said.

Being one of the first nursery trade shows of the year, MANTS serves as a good barometer on the mood of the industry. Most exhibitors reported increased optimism from last year, and orders are up.

Particularly a good sign, propagators and liner producers are reporting that orders are up over last season. This is an indication that nursery growers are planting again, and that overall oversupply of nursery products is shrinking.