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"We are particularly pleased that we were finally able to hold our Customer and Supplier Day again. We were able to build on the success of the events before the pandemic - as demonstrated by the good attendance and the lively discussions between our attendees and with the exhibitors. In addition, many people in our sector are now starting to take a closer look at the use of AI in horticulture, so we really had our finger on the pulse with the main topic for our Customer and Supplier Day," explained Günther Esser and Cees Hoekstra, Managing Directors of Veiling Rhein-Maas. Jürgen Schultz, owner of Schultz Blumenhandel & Logistik in Straelen-Herongen, also confirmed this positive impression. "It was very nice to once again be able to meet directly with so many other suppliers and other contacts from Veiling Rhein-Maas. The fact that 500 people attended clearly shows that the Customer and Supplier Day was exactly the right event to start the year. I took the opportunity to take part and had many good conversations."
At the beginning of the event, Günther Esser and Cees Hoekstra presented the latest developments, projects and activities of the auction. This was followed by a guest lecture by Dr Lea Beiermann, a renowned economist and author in the field of AI who works for Ada learning GmbH. In her presentation, she outlined the development of AI in recent years right up to the release of ChatGPT, which made AI accessible to the masses for the first time. Dr Beiermann also discussed the differences between classic and generative AI and explained terms such as machine learning and deep learning. She then went over the different areas of the sector in which the various forms of AI can be used, and in some cases already are. Examples included the care and health monitoring of plants, interactions with customers, inventory management, market and trend analyses and the use of resources such as electricity and light. In all these areas, AI can be used to optimise and automate processes or create recommendations for action based on existing data.
As an interactive element, Dr Beiermann also included some specific questions about AI in her presentation, which the audience could answer using a QR code and a voting tool on their smartphones. The results were then shown in real time on the large presentation screen in the auction room. According to the results, the majority of Customer and Supplier Day attendees believed that traditional AI has greater potential for the green sector than generative AI, which generates new content. When asked which of the specific areas of application for AI in the green sector is the most interesting, the most votes went to the care and health monitoring of plants, followed by the optimised use of resources such as electricity and light, the AI-based creation of market and trend analyses and optimised inventory management.
There are already examples of many of these uses in practice. Some of the providers of the technologies that are used in the sector were even present as exhibitors at the Customer and Supplier Day. During the second part of the event, which took place in a part of a supply hall that had been converted into an event location, attendees were able to find out more about the possibilities of the respective technologies with visits to the providers’ stands. They learnt first-hand how AI can be used to increase efficiency, optimise processes and create new business opportunities. "This combination of the theoretical approach to the possible uses of AI in the green sector covered in Dr Beiermann's presentation and the opportunity to talk to providers who offer the relevant technologies afterwards made the Customer and Supplier Day an all-round successful event for me," said Christian Welzel, owner of Gartenbau Welzel in Kerken. The exhibitors at the Customer and Supplier Day included Telekom Deutschland GmbH with its partner LichtWART GmbH, FYTA GmbH, Innok Robotics GmbH, Encentive GmbH, Ada learning GmbH, Agrobusiness Niederrhein e.V., Blumenbüro Holland and the Landgard initiative "1000 gute Gründe".
In addition to the actual programme, Veiling Rhein-Maas customers and suppliers also used the event on 9 January to network and exchange ideas with industry colleagues as usual.
