Garden Center Conference & Expo 2024 Las Vegas Preview

Garden centers are governed by the seasons and the way plants grow. Those rhythms are deeply ingrained in the way we do business, so they should also be ingrained in the way we learn and connect. For the 2024 Garden Center Conference & Expo, we’ve taken inspiration from the plants our readers sell. Following the lifespan of the greenery we love, we’ve crafted the arc of the conference to three distinct beats: sowing, growing and pollinating.

Day one, sowing, is about understanding the landscape and sharing the health of the industry. We will discuss trends and issues that are important for a fertile landscape of ideas that will help participants thrive on day two.

The second day is about growth. Our three educational tracks are designed so that participants walk away from the sessions with goals and tactics they can implement immediately upon returning home. We’re focusing on growth in areas highlighted as concerns in our State of the Industry Report: staffing and digital marketing solutions. On our show floor, vendors will offer hands-on workshops related to store design, events and merchandising in the “Lightning Track,” new to the conference this year.

Day three brings everyone together for breakfast and a few hours of intensive conversation. Here, we pollinate the amazing ideas we’ve had over the course of the conference. It’s a time to share, connect and inspire one another before heading home, ready to continue the cycle again in your own business.

Here are some highlights from what promises to be an amazing show that will help attendees flourish.

Day One: Sowing

Understanding the Landscape: State of the Industry

By Garden Center magazine Editor Patrick Alan Coleman with industry guests.

To kick off the event and prepare you with the information you need to grow your operation, Patrick will be giving the State of the Industry address. This highly anticipated session will take a deep dive into the 2023 report from Garden Center magazine and will include fresh insights from the first two quarters of 2024.

Patrick will be joined by a panel of industry experts and garden center owners who will give their own perspective and additional context on consumer gardening trends and the economic outlook.

Cultivating Young IGC Pros

Fresh talent will ensure a healthy future in the industry. Join us for a panel discussion with up-and-coming industry pros under the age of 35. Learn what draws the younger generation into the IGC industry and hear their perspective about where the industry will grow into the future.

Sowing Sustainability

In 2023, GCCE speakers offered a warning that it was time the industry took a serious look at its sustainability. In 2024, we are shining a spotlight on the issue. Join a panel discussion of IGCs and innovators who are building a sustainable future for our industry. Learn about the challenges, concerns and solutions available to reduce plastic waste, increase water efficiency and leverage renewable energy.

Keynote Address

Looking Back to Move Forward with Stephanie Stuckey, Stuckey’s

Stephanie Stuckey is the owner of the storied Stuckey’s brand, which was started by her grandfather. After the brand languished under corporate control outside of the family, Stephanie bought the company and has been working hard to refresh and renew the brand while staying true to its roots. Stephanie will offer IGCs a look at how they can leverage creativity to revitalize multigenerational family brands, honoring the past while building an exciting and vibrant future.

Day two: Growing

Track: Digital Marketing, hosted by Rob Sproule

Join Rob Sproule, co-owner and marketing director of Salisbury Greenhouse (a Top 100 Independent Garden Center) and owner of Dig Marketing, as he leads participants in a full-day intensive on digital marketing. Rob will be joined by IGC marketing pros, influencers and digital wizards who will help you build the skills, find the tools and make a digital marketing plan incorporating everything from social media to email. Session attendees will walk away with a plan they can implement as soon as they return to their business.

Sessions:

• Moving From Strategy to Tactics
• Social Media Best Practices
• Websites for Garden Centers 101
• Email, SMS and Loyalty

Track: Staffing Intensive

Join IGC pros and HR professionals from BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group in a full-day workshop tackling staffing, one of the biggest pain points in the industry. Leveraging panels, roundtables and interactive group discussions, IGC owners will learn how to better recruit, retain and develop the best staff possible and make succession and other transitions as painless as possible. Attendees will end the day with a path forward to improve staffing and retainment, adding new life to their teams.

Sessions:

• Recruiting
• Onboarding and Training
• Development and Retention
• Transitions and Exit & Succession Planning

New for 2024: Lightning Track

Join your fellow attendees on the GCCE show floor for quick-hit, solution-oriented workshops at our vendors’ booths. The Lightning Track will travel through the booths, where participants will interact with subject matter experts on topics including crafting in-store events, store design and creative merchandising to drive increased sales.

These brief sessions are meant to give IGC staff attending the show real-world, actionable solutions they can bring back to their stores as soon as they return.

Day Three: Pollinating

The Breakfast Buzz Session

End your conference during this breakfast roundtable session, where our conference panelists, attendees and expo vendors will sit together and discuss the information they received over the last two days. Share your inspiration and learnings or learn from others who discovered unique solutions to problems you might also be experiencing. Do you have a question for a panelist, vendor or participant that you weren’t able to ask in the hustle of the previous days? Now’s the time to discuss it over coffee before catching your flight home, refreshed, renewed and excited to grow.

Stay Tuned!

Keep an eye on your inbox and the conference website, gardencenterconference.com, as we continue to announce speakers, panelists and session details. We look forward to an amazing conference.