Perennial conference pairs with retail show

 

Speaker presentations will be relevant to owners, managers and employees in garden centers, landscape operations and growing operations with topics including new perennials and their use, marketing to prospective customers, industry trends and directions and employee relations.

 

Scheduled to speak are Anna Ball, of Ball Horticulture, Bridget Behe of Michigan State University, Dan Heims of Terra Nova Nursery, Stan Pohmer of Pohmer Consulting, Bobbie Schwartz, of Bobbie’s Green Thumb in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and Linda Zoerb of La Crosse Floral, La Crosse, Wis. 

 

All are leaders in the industry in their particular subject matter area and have been featured speakers at programs across the nation. Attendees will also have the opportunity for one-to-one conversations with the speakers through the popular round-table event on Wednesday evening.  

 

”This joint program will be a bit of a change for both groups” says Eileen Nelson, executive director of the Garden Center Symposium. “Collaboration is vital to the success of our industry. We’re all in the same business, so the idea of asking people to choose from similar educational offerings amounts to a duplication of effort as well as expense for everyone concerned.” 

 

The joint Garden Center Symposium and Midwest Perennial Conference will be held January 23-24, 2013, at the Country Springs Hotel and Conference Center in Waukesha, Wis.

 

Both the Garden Center Symposium and the Midwest Perennial Conference provide scholarship opportunities for students interested in futures in the green industry. Scholarship information as well as additional program and registration information can be found at www.gardencentersymposium.com.