Cultivate’15: Bus tour takes a new direction

The independent garden center bus tours that are scheduled in conjunction with AmericanHort’s big July trade show in Columbus, Ohio, traditionally include visits to garden centers exclusively. Usually there are about three stops on the Retail Road Show tour, with lunch built in, and after a long day of travel, attendees go their separate ways. Cultivate’15 organizers have changed things up a bit for this summer’s tour after reviewing feedback from participants, and are including a grocery store in the lineup.

“We went back and looked at the experiences our attendees were having, and looked at the evaluation forms. We wanted to give them a meaningful, informational experience. We’re sticking around Columbus this year, and we’re visiting three places that have different settings,” says Aubrey Ballinger, learning resource specialist with AmericanHort. There will be an urban, rural and suburban stop on the tour. “Then we’re all going to come back to the [Greater Columbus] Convention Center, and we’re going to have a buffet lunch in one of the ballrooms.”

That way, instead of only getting an opportunity to discuss the garden center visits in between stops with people on one bus, all attendees will be able to gather together and share their insights and thoughts from the day. In addition, AmericanHort will show photos of what each stop looked like in peak season.

“They can see how garden centers evolve from pre-season to mid-season,” Ballinger says, who estimated there will be about 100 people on the tour and three buses. Sid Raisch, an industry consultant, will facilitate the conversation.

In addition bus groups will spit at the stops and follow different tour guides to learn about specific programs or strategies that have made the businesses successful. The day will start at 7:15 a.m. July 11, and include the following stops:
 

Scheiderer Farms Greenhouse

Marysville, Ohio
Keith and Candi Scheiderer are fourth-generation owners of Scheiderer Farms, which operated as a family farm until about 10 years ago when the couple decided to offer plants. Though the full-service garden center is in a rural location, they have incorporated big-city technology into their business. “They have a mobile app, and they have a very good following on that. Their daughter runs it, and she’s really up on social media,” Ballinger says. Attendees will hear all about the app’s features, which include a digital awards program. However, the app isn’t just about prizes, as the company explains in the app description. It also includes a news feed with gardening articles and videos, featured plants and upcoming events at the garden center, and a plant guide with more than 1,000 entries. Plus, customers can ask questions via the app. Scheiderer Farms also offers a custom container program that groups will learn more about.
 

Oakland Nursery

Dublin, Ohio
The Retail Road Show will stop at the Dublin, Ohio, Oakland Nursery location, one of four stores in the Columbus area. The company recently purchased the store next to this location, and dubbed the space Oakland Nursery HOME. The store serves as an expansion of their home and décor section and includes larger furniture, vintage pieces, scarves, purses and more. Attendees will view the diverse product offering in the home store, and see how the business creatively connected the two stores to create a “unique shopping journey for their customers.”
 

Giant Eagle Market District

Grandview, Ohio
Grandview Yard is a relatively new shopping, business and residential district in Columbus, and Giant Eagle has capitalized on this location by opening one of its massive Market District stores there. Giant Eagle wants customers to hang out at the store, so they created a variety of destinations and places throughout the space for people to enjoy beer, wine or food. What AmericanHort would like to highlight at this stop, other than the “store within a store” concept, is the checkout system. “It’s really different, the way it’s laid out for traffic flow,” Ballinger says. “We want to look outside the industry to get ideas and inspiration. How do other people who are not growers or retailers do things?” Tour guides will also point out signage strategies and product placement throughout the store.