Inaugural Lawn Care Summit provides both techinical and management skills

HERNDON, Va. — More than 200 attendees recently gathered in Orlando, Fla., for the inaugural Lawn Care Summit. This national lawn care forum was jointly sponsored by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) and the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), as a result of years of dialogue between the two groups about ways the strengths of both organizations could best be harnessed for the benefit of lawn care professionals.

Dual educational tracks, developed by leading lawn care operators, covered both technical and management topics of interest, such as how to create a dynamic Web site, the strategical use of new and traditional insecticides, tips on designing cost-effective and environmentally compatible lawn fertilization programs, a look at responsible weed control, and how to inject social media in a marketing plan, to name just a few.

The opening session, “Trends in Lawn Care — The Future of the Industry,” was led by a panel of lawn care experts who shared their perspectives on how the economic recession is impacting the industry, what lawn care operators can expect in the way of new products, and perspectives on new customer demands.

Evening receptions and daytime gatherings provided ample time for peer networking, and the perfect setting to share best practices and build valuable peer relationships.

“The conference topics, speakers, panels and participant interactions all came together quite nicely for a rather unique, high-quality educational and networking experience,” says attendee Paul McDonough of The Davey Tree Expert Co., Kent, Ohio. “Congratulations to PLANET and NPMA leadership and staff for putting together such a comprehensive program.”