Creating an Essential Conference

Ask me to sum up the Garden Center Conference & Expo in one sentence, and I’ll tell you without hesitation: It is the best conference in the United States for independent garden center owners, staff and the green industry companies they work with. I am confident about that answer because we have worked hard to make the statement true. The truth is reflected in the feedback we collect after every conference and the continued success our attendees have when they return home. But it is also reflected in some important statistics. Last year, the number of attendees grew by 20%. The number of exhibitors grew by more than 20%. Our show floor grew by 4,000 square feet. Our attendees represented 38 states and six countries.

Our growth is because the Garden Center Conference & Expo offers incredible educational value. That is in our DNA. Garden Center magazine launched the conference in 2019 as a way for garden center industry leaders to meet and trade best practices and information while building lasting connections. But it was clear from the outset that the knowledge traded between our attendees, and the depth of the relationships they forged, would be beneficial for anyone engaged in the industry.

As we opened attendance to those outside of independent garden center leadership, we were careful to retain the knowledge-sharing rigor that we had already established. The individuals we invite to lead our sessions and panels are those we trust in the pages of Garden Center magazine, as well as leaders from the Top 100 Independent Garden Centers list. They bring with them their real-world experience and learnings collected from generations of green business know-how.

I encourage you to explore our story on the roots of the Garden Center Conference & Expo on pg. 30. Not only does this written history help explain how we built a foundation of educational excellence, it also shines a light on the dedicated and passionate team that works hard every year to ensure that attendees have the best and most rewarding experience possible.

I think it’s important to stress that the idea exchange and learning at the conference extends beyond our stellar educational sessions. In fact, some of the most robust, thoughtful and valuable conversations happen on our over 16,000-square-foot show floor. There, attendees can learn about the newest and best plant offerings from brands like Proven Winners, Monrovia and Everde, as well as exploring new hard goods, point-of-sale systems, AI-enabled tech solutions and a variety of innovative products that will drive desire and profit in your garden center.

But the show floor is more than a place to make connections — it is also a nexus for creative inspiration. Our exhibiting partners make spaces meant to spark wonder, and our attendees leave the show floor filled with ideas about how to structure their own garden center merchandising or run educational events for their customers.

Our exhibitors also benefit from the conversations they have with attendees. We are strategically focused on independent garden center leadership and staff, including marketers and buyers. We encourage exhibitors to learn from our focused and engaged community of green industry pros to understand what their customers are seeking and what they need from good partners. And I’ve been incredibly excited to hear about the relationships that are forged between exhibitors and attendees on our show floor.

So, this is our invitation to you. The Garden Center magazine team continues to work hard to ensure that it is the best conference in the United States for independent garden center owners, staff and the green industry companies they work with. But as the publisher of the leading industry trade publication serving independent garden center retailers in North America, I understand that words alone are not enough. Let us show you.

Come experience the depth of information that will be available for you this August in Las Vegas. I look forward to seeing you there.