Nursery of the Future
The Horticultural Trades Association has confirmed three keynote speakers for its FutureGrow Expo 2026, highlighting technologies and approaches aimed at improving productivity and resilience in UK nursery production.
The event, themed ‘Nursery of the Future’, will take place on 6 October 2026 at NAEC Stoneleigh and will focus on automation, biological crop protection and digital horticulture.
Confirmed speakers include Andrey Ivanov of Wilkin & Sons, who will discuss linking technology adoption to business resilience and return on investment; Dr Minshad Ansari, CEO of Bionema Group, who will address biological crop protection and the factors influencing performance and adoption; and Prof. Lorenzo Cotrozzi of the University of Pisa, who will explore AI, early plant stress detection and precision crop management.
Alongside the speaker programme, the show will feature an R&D hub, live outdoor demonstrations and exhibits focused on next-generation solutions for commercial growers.
According to the HTA, UK environmental horticulture crop production, including forestry supply, is worth £1.7bn annually. The previous FutureGrow Expo attracted growers representing around £400m of UK plant production value.
More information about the speakers can be found here: https://hta.org.uk/futuregrow/speakers
For registration and details about exhibitors, visit: hta.org.uk/futuregrow/visitors