Chelsea Flower Show: The Debrief

It is two days since we packed up our stand from Chelsea Flower Show and, given how much I banged on about it in the run-up, I thought I owed you all a debrief about how it went.
Just for a bit of background, for anyone who hasn’t heard of Chelsea before — it’s the largest horticulture show in the UK and one of the most prestigious in the world. Over the course of six days, more than 150,000 people come to the show. Started in 1862, it’s a major cultural event — every day of Chelsea week, the BBC are filming and recording the goings-on, broadcasting it to the nation. There are over 8,000 people involved in putting on the show, with more than 400 horticulture exhibits spread across 20 acres. Every year, the first day is reserved for the rich, famous, and royal. So, just to make it clear — Chelsea is quite unlike anything else. This is not your average place to exhibit and showcase your products, and accordingly, it is not only hugely competitive to get into, but it’s a bit of a risk for a small business like ours.

So, I wanted to properly explain to you why we thought this was something worth doing — what it takes to get into Chelsea, the preparation for the show, the reaction (and sales!) and response, and whether we’d want to do it again. As ever, with these real behind-the-scenes insights into the business, these articles are access-only for Studio Members. But if you like getting to really know what it takes to start — and try to grow — a small creative business, there are loads of other articles you’ll likely enjoy on The Studio. So do consider signing up if you want to read the rest. You won't regret it!