Eliza Blank of The Sill to keynote 2020 Garden Center Executive Summit

Garden Center magazine is pleased to announce that Eliza Blank will be the keynote speaker at the 2020 Garden Center Executive Summit, which will take place Feb. 3-5 in New Orleans. The founder and CEO of The Sill, Blank will discuss her experience bringing the garden center online. As the first digitally native, direct-to-consumer plant brand, The Sill combines e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores with educational content and community. The Sill has continued to evolve since Blank launched the company in 2012. She’ll talk about these changes, how to distill many great ideas into smart decisions and more during her session, Creating a Plant Community and Authentic Experiences Online and In-Store at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4.

RELATED: Read Eliza's feature story from our July 2018 issue here.

“Our Garden Center Executive Summit Advisory Board members and attendees have read about Eliza Blank and The Sill, so we’re thrilled that she will be able to share her story live and give attendees an opportunity to hear directly from her,” said Michelle Simakis, editor-at-large of Garden Center magazine. “We launched the Garden Center Executive Summit in 2019 to give independent garden center leaders the opportunity to gather, learn from one other and network, and Eliza’s presentation is one example of the top-notch education sessions for decision-makers that we provide.”

“Building on the success of last year’s conference, we’re excited to bring such a powerful voice in the industry to the 2020 Executive Summit,” said Kate Spirgen, editor of Garden Center magazine. “Eliza has had tremendous success in online plant sales, branding and community-building. Her story and insights into this burgeoning segment of the ever-changing garden retail industry will be a can’t-miss talk for IGC owners.”

The Garden Center Executive Summit is the educational conference for owners, executives and managers of independent garden centers in North America who want to engage on topics not addressed anywhere else to learn, grow together and move the industry forward. Dynamic industry leaders who comprise the Garden Center Executive Summit Advisory Board help to develop the in-depth educational program, which is the focus of the event. The event includes a mix of keynote addresses, panel discussions and roundtable breakout sessions, in addition to opportunities to network during the conference. The conference is supported by a group of sponsors dedicated to helping independent garden centers, and the industry, thrive.

Stay tuned to the Garden Center Executive Summit website for more speaker and session announcements. Registration for the Garden Center Executive Summit is open, with early-bird pricing available! Attendees who register by Nov. 15 can save $300 off on-site registration.