Platinum Sponsor of IPPS Europe Annual Conference 2025

ICL is proud to be the Platinum Sponsor of the 2025 IPPS Europe* Annual Conference, taking place in Peterborough from 8–10 October. This flagship event will bring together Europe’s leading voices in plant production, with an agenda that spans innovation, sustainability, and collaboration. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour cutting-edge grower operations across East Anglia and South Lincolnshire, gaining firsthand insight into best practices and emerging horticultural technologies.

ICL technical area sales manager Steve Chapman – newly appointed to the IPPS Committee – describes the 3-day event as a “dynamic forum to exchange ideas, foster innovation and build lasting professional relationships.”  The conference attracts growers, suppliers, researchers, universities, retailers, and policy influencers from across Europe.

The Conference on the final day, Friday 10 October, at the Park Inn by Radisson (Peterborough) will feature peer-reviewed presentations exploring breakthrough research in plant production and cultivation. Sustainability will take centre stage with in-depth sessions on peat-free propagation and the future of substrates – including a presentation by ICL technical manager Andrew Wilson – while additional panels will tackle key workforce challenges and reveal how automation and technology are reshaping the industry’s future.

Proceeding the Conference, on Wednesday, 8 October, delegates can tour three sites showcasing innovation and best practice:

• Barcham Trees (Cambridgeshire) – Specialists in containerised trees and holders of a Royal Warrant. Highlights include a tour of the 250‑acre nursery plus demonstration of a cutting-edge AI-driven potting machine from Horti Robotics.
• Rymer Trees (Suffolk) – Producers of over 300,000 peat-free cell-grown UK native trees annually. The visit covers propagation operations and trial sowings of climate-resilient species.
• Elveden Estate (Norfolk/Suffolk border) – UK’s largest lowland arable farm (22,500 acres), renowned for instant hedging and Christmas trees. The tour includes demonstrations of bespoke labour-saving machinery.

Thursday 9 October – delegates can gain insights into commercial propagation and production systems including

• Ball – Marsh Road Site – Modern 2-ha polytunnel complex producing core 9cm hardy nursery stock range and Kinder plug range. The tour will explore production systems and showcase wide variety of retail-ready and liner material. (Further visits to be announced shortly.)

Follow IPPS on social media for the latest updates and conference news:

LinkedIn: IPPS Europe   Facebook: IPPS European Region

*IPPS Europe is the regional branch of the International Plant Production Society, a global network dedicated to sharing knowledge and advancing professional development in plant production and propagation.