February 2010
A Jolly Holiday By Paige Worthy

Create lasting memories — and lifelong customers — with Garden Getaway Tours. These customized transatlantic horticultural excursions are painless to plan and effortless to enjoy.

Customers always want something new. New products, new ideas, new events. And they want the new now.

What if, this spring, you could offer your customers something they won’t find anywhere else — not at the big boxes, not at the garden center across town — something brand new and exclusive to your store? How about a European garden tour, with unprecedented access to gorgeous gardens and a lifetime of memories connected to your store?

It’s not a dream: I’m working with two groups in the Chicago area who will take customers on two turnkey “Garden Getaway Tours” this spring and summer: Daniel Stober, creative director of the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, will lead a group of Chicagoland horticultural enthusiasts (including myself!) to the 2010 Chelsea Flower Show from May 19 to 29; and Chalet, an independent garden center in Wilmette, Ill., will take their customers to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show from July 5 to 15.

I’ll be working with both groups as they organize and prepare for their trips, and I’ll report back to you on their challenges and successes along the way. But first, a little background…

Beyond the Basics

There have been and will be other garden tours. But Garden Getaway Tours are special. They’ve been created by Travel & Company, which has 30 years’ experience planning group travel, through a partnership with the horticultural consulting firm Cultivaris. The tours are especially for garden centers and 100 percent turnkey, which means all travelers see is the garden center’s identity.

Group travel could be complicated, but not with Garden Getaway Tours. Travel & Company guarantees its service on many levels, including flight and hotel confirmation well in advance, trip insurance, a dedicated tour consultant, the best guides, comfortable ground travel.

If, heaven forbid, something goes wrong during a trip, there’s a “red card” system in place. The group leader just hands off the card they received in their pre-departure materials and sets a 24/7 response team in motion to solve their problem.

Web and Human Resources

To help the process along, Garden Getaway Tours has a simple-to-use, incredibly accessible website that’s customized for each tour group, as well as staff members dedicated to making the process painless. The website is stocked with information resources; registration is all online; and Garden Getaway Tours will even help you send out promotional blasts to your e-mail list.

“When we were first getting everything kicked off, I was utterly amazed at how much was [on the website],” Stober says.

Vanessa Dinning, the point person for both the Chicago Flower & Garden Show and the Chalet, is a perfect example of the tireless staff members working with Garden Getaway Tours groups. “She’s my nonstop go-to girl,” Stober says. “She takes calls from me at 10 p.m. and is amazing to work with.”

Stober, whose major event — the Chicago Flower & Garden Show — takes place two months before the garden tour, is redefining the word “juggle,” just as many garden center owners do. The company has taken care of all the nitty-gritty details, so promotion is his only responsibility.

“That’s why I think it will work for garden centers, too. It’s not a burden,” Stober says. “You just get to talk about it.”

So, What’s in it for You?

Actually, let’s start with the fact that you’d likely get to go for free to experience this trip with your customers. Their travel comes in at just over $5,000 for airfare and transportation, hotels, events and select meals — but with every 10th customer registered, you get one registration gratis. You also get $100 cash incentive for every signup.

Now, the PR benefits. Independent garden centers are constantly wanting to differentiate themselves from the competition — and this is the way to do it. You’ll also be strengthening the community you’ve already created through your garden clubs, social media efforts or in-store events.

The Chalet is putting forth a huge PR push, both through their own customer communication as well as local garden media. Tony Fulmer, Chalet’s retail manager, said the staff planned to get in touch with several local journalists to spread the word. The whole staff is involved, and they’re hoping to generate interest among existing customers and Chicago travel enthusiasts.

This is an opportunity to connect with your fellow travelers for 10 days in Europe, and come home with a camera full of photos, a head full of ideas and customers for a lifetime.

But this isn’t an advertisement — it’s a call to action. As I plan my own travel for the trip to the Chelsea Flower Show in late May, I’ll be sharing our experiences, step by step, with you. Follow us through this process and decide for yourself whether you can afford not to get involved.

(And if you already can’t wait to get started, get in touch with Vanessa Dinning at Garden Getaway Tours. There’s still time to register for a 2010 trip or get a head start on tours for 2011. E-mail her at [email protected] or give her a call at (619) 246-8735. Prepare yourself for her fabulous British accent!)

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Travel highlights — Chelsea Flower Show

  • Round-trip travel from Chicago to London
  • Nine nights’ hotel
  • Five days’ sightseeing: Bath, Plymouth and Hampshire, England
  • Four days in London, including guided city/Royal Horticultural Society garden tours
  • Exclusive visit to the Chelsea Flower Show (members day)
  • Membership to the RHS
  • Selected meals each day

Paige Worthy

Paige Worthy is managing editor of Lawn & Garden Retailer. She can be reached at (847) 391-1050 or [email protected]. She does not have a fabulous British accent.