Salon du Végétal · 2026

Agoris analysis · updated October 2026

Key takeaways

• The Salon du Végétal is the leading biennial gathering for France's horticulture and plant sector: ornamental production, nursery growing, landscaping, distribution and green-space design. It is organised by Destination Angers and co-built with VERDIR, the BHR and Valhor.
• 36th edition, from 15 to 17 September 2026 at the Parc des Expositions d'Angers (source: materiel-paysage.com for the edition numbering).
• 2024 results: 260 exhibitors, 15% of them international, and 7,500 professional visitors (organiser's closing report). For 2026, the organiser is announcing 280 exhibitors, 8,000 visitors and 60 expert sessions.
• Back in Angers since 2022 after three editions in Nantes, the trade show has adopted a biennial rhythm in even-numbered years, alternating with Paysalia in Lyon in odd-numbered years (source: aiph.org).
• A structured eco-design approach, led by Destination Angers and certified to ISO 20121: salonduvegetal.com/un-evenement-eco-concu.

Who exhibits

Typical profile

Horticultural growers, nursery operators, suppliers of technical solutions and services, innovation developers, training bodies and institutional players: every link in the plant-sector chain is represented. In 2024, 15% of the 260 exhibitors came from abroad (source: aiph.org).

Notable exhibitors

The list of 2026 exhibitors is on the official website: salonduvegetal.com/liste-des-exposants. Exhibitors are spread across the general halls and dedicated areas: the Pôle Arbre(s) brings together the offering of nursery growers and tree professionals, while the Espace Jeunes Pousses showcases start-ups and young companies in the sector.

Quality of the visitor base

• Free entry, but strictly reserved for plant-sector professionals, on an access badge
• Four visitor targets identified by the organiser: retailers and distributors (garden centres, florists, DIY/large retail chains, wholesalers, e-retailers), space designers and developers (landscapers, architects, hotels, golf courses, campsites), local authorities and public bodies, learners and prescribers
• Three signposted thematic visit routes ("affinity-based visit"), with the option of being guided

Activities & community

Conference programme

More than 60 conferences, forums and round tables at the 2024 edition (source: angers-developpement.com). Highlights announced for 2026: a major conference, "20 ans de Nature en ville", on the morning of Tuesday 15 September, marking the 20th anniversary of Plante & Cité, with Monique Barbut and Marc-André Selosse among the prospective guests; a highlight with the European landscape designers Cassian Schmidt and Bettina Jaugstetter, who will come to share their approaches and feedback; and the 19th Rencontres Nationales des Villes et Villages Fleuris, expected to bring together around 500 decision-makers (source: materiel-paysage.com).

The Soirée Pro brings exhibitors and visitors together alongside the trade show.

Awards and prizes

The Concours Innovert®, of which Valhor is the official partner, rewards the sector's innovations at each edition across four categories: "Innovation variétale", "Nouveautés commerciales végétales", "Produits & services pour la commercialisation et/ou l'usage des végétaux" and "Solutions (produits, services ou dispositifs) pour l'aménagement paysager". Entries close in mid-April (a maximum of two submissions per company), with the final jury in late June and the awards ceremony during the trade show; around fifty exhibitors entered the competition for 2026 (source: materiel-paysage.com). The winners are grouped together in the Espace Innovert®.

Community and networks

The trade show is co-built with the sector's professional bodies: VERDIR, the BHR (the show's historical creator and owner of the brand, tied to the City of Angers by an agreement since late 2019, source: presse.angers.fr) and Valhor, the inter-trade organisation for horticulture, floristry and landscaping. The 2026 presidency is held by Marc-Henri Doyon (Ripaud Pépinières), who succeeds Thierry Browaeys (source: materiel-paysage.com).

Destination Angers organises SIVAL, the trade show for specialised plant production, on the same site.

The show also runs an editorial platform throughout the year: in-depth articles, expert interviews, podcasts and replays freely available.

On site: what you need to know

Access, parking and accommodation: see the listing for the Parc des Expositions d'Angers.

Specific to the trade show:

• Opening hours: Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September 9am-6pm, Thursday 17 September 9am-5pm.
• Badge: free entry, reserved for plant-sector professionals, on an access badge. The show's newsletter announces the opening of visitor registration.
• Key areas: the Cœur Végétal (an immersive, scenographic space with a conference area), the Espace Innovert®, the Pôle Arbre(s), the Espace Jeunes Pousses and the Espace Emploi & Métiers.

How much it costs to exhibit

Prices published by the organiser for 2026:

• Green pack (turnkey): a packaged 9 m² stand from €1,961 excl. VAT, including partitions, fascia sign, header, lighting, a 2 kW electricity meter, a furniture kit and 2 evening passes.
• Grower rate: from €111 excl. VAT per m² for a bare stand and €134 excl. VAT per m² for a fitted stand.
• Bespoke offer: from €116 excl. VAT per m² for a bare stand (minimum 18 m²) and €139 excl. VAT per m² for a fitted stand (minimum 9 m²).
• Young growers rate: a stand from €595 excl. VAT for companies less than 3 years old and young growers under 4 years old, grouped together in a dedicated area.
• Pôle Arbre(s) and Emploi & Formation: a stand from €595 excl. VAT for tree-sector players, associations, schools and employment bodies.
• Referral offer: €200 excl. VAT discount for a 2024 exhibitor who refers a new exhibitor.

Preparing your visit

For the exhibitor

• 12 months out: request your participation and the pricing brochure from Destination Angers' sales department; weigh up the Green pack, a bare or fitted stand and the dedicated areas (Pôle Arbre(s), Jeunes Pousses).
• 5 months out: submit your Concours Innovert® entry before the mid-April deadline, a strong visibility lever at the show.
• 4 months out: activate the referral offer if you exhibited at the previous edition.
• 2 months out: check that your stand is listed in the thematic visit routes and prepare for the Soirée Pro.
• 3 weeks out: brief your team and book appointments with the buyers and prescribers you are targeting.

For the decision-making visitor

• A free badge on online registration, reserved for plant-sector professionals; subscribe to the newsletter to be alerted when registration opens.
• Choose one of the three thematic routes to structure your visit according to your line of work.
• Target the conferences in the 2026 programme and the Innovert® awards ceremony in advance.
• Allow 1 to 2 days depending on the scope you want to cover (production, distribution, landscaping, local authorities).

CSR policy & initiatives

The Salon du Végétal is run by Destination Angers, certified to ISO 20121, which sets out its approach on the Un évènement éco conçu page. Published commitments, organised into five strands (waste, mobility, sector, communication, purchasing): permanent sorting signage across 10 waste streams, sorting of biowaste from source to skip, removal of plastic bottles in favour of glass, reduced carpeting in the aisles with verification of the recycling chain, collection and treatment of cigarette butts, and the pooling of facilities with other trade shows on the site.

How the trade show has evolved

Trajectory analysis

Created in 1981 under the name Salon Anjou Vert and renamed Salon du Végétal in 1985, the show was for a long time the major annual gathering for French horticulture, with a peak of close to 17,000 visitors in 2011 (source: Wikipedia). The move to Nantes from 2017 to 2019 did not win people over: in late 2019, the City of Angers and the BHR signed an agreement bringing the show back to Angers and entrusting its organisation to the SPL Destination Angers (source: presse.angers.fr). After a 2020 edition cancelled because of Covid, the relaunch took place in September 2022 in a tighter, now biennial format set in even-numbered years, alternating with Paysalia in Lyon (source: aiph.org). The 2024 edition (260 exhibitors, 7,500 visitors) validated this repositioning as a sector show, more compact but better qualified, which the 2026 edition extends with its thematic routes and by hosting the Rencontres Nationales des Villes et Villages Fleuris.

Unless otherwise stated, all factual data in this listing comes from the organiser's official website (salonduvegetal.com).