GCA Summer Tour announces its itinerary and education extras

Published April 08, 2019

Independent garden center retailers from across the country will set foot in Nashville, Tennessee, this June for the 2019 GCA Summer Tour. The tour will take place June 23-26. The Music City-bound tour offers a mix of IGC retailers, educational sessions and opportunities for networking with owners and managers at each store.

Not only will the 16th annual tour visit a wide variety of garden retailers, but it will also include Q&A sessions with the leadership at each garden center stop.

Plus, this summer’s GCA Tour Nashville will give attendees the opportunity to share their thoughts on the industry’s hot-button issues with their peers during daily facilitated conversations, modeled after the IGC Show’s popular Shop Talk Retail Discussions in the IGC Networking Lounge. Tour-goers can swap strategies with fellow indies in a collaborative setting, topics include:

• Staffing Symposium - Ideas on hiring, training and retaining great employees; pay and benefits; continuing education and training for staff; and more.

• Events & Activities - How to plan successful events and workshops that bring in shoppers.

• Enhancing Your Web Presence - Covering websites, social media, email blasts, online ordering and more.

Daily container-building demos with Sharon Hadden will reveal her latest recipes for grab-and-go container sales.

GCA Summer Tour Nashville’s host destinations include:

Moore & Moore Garden Center, Nashville, Tennessee

www.mooreandmoore.com

Gardens of Babylon, Nashville, Tennessee

www.gardensofbabylon.com

JVI Secret Gardens, Nashville, Tennessee

www.jvisecretgardens.com

Martin’s Home & Garden, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

www.martinshomeandgarden.com