Mid-Am 2005 Receives Rave Reviews

Despite cold and snowy days in the Chicago area, The Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show (Mid-Am) attracted the third highest registration and the highest number of exhibitors in its 32-year history for the 2005 show, which took place Jan. 19 through Jan. 21 in Lakeside Center at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center. The show registered 12,058 horticulture professionals to attend the three-day event that featured exhibits from a record 668 industry companies, filling 129,800 square feet of space, 2,500 more square feet than last year.

“Mid-Am’s popularity has consistently grown, even in this challenging economic climate when other trade shows were downsizing,” commented Mid-Am President John Hendricksen of The Care of Trees in Wheeling, Ill. “We even had a waiting list for exhibitors this year, proving that Mid-Am is providing an event that our industry wants and needs. We intend to continue to deliver the high quality experience that the green industry has come to expect from Mid-Am year after year.”

Mid-Am 2005 drew green industry professionals from 43 states, eight foreign countries and Canada. This year's event revealed that 35 percent of those registered were owners or corporate officials and 23 percent were managers or foremen. Thirty-six percent of those registered provided landscape services, while 12 percent were retailers and 19 percent were growers.

The event provided a number of new features, including the hugely successful Management Workshop held on Jan. 18, the day before the show started. More than 240 management professionals from the horticulture industry registered for the workshop. “This is the first year we offered a one-day pre-show conference at Mid‑Am,” Hendricksen noted. “The success of the event exceeded all our expectations.”

The all-day educational seminar included two popular motivational speakers, Mark Mayberry and Marty Grunder, presenting inspiration and innovative strategies for increasing sales, obtaining business goals, and gaining success. The program was geared toward industry owners and management personnel. Comments from participants were overwhelmingly positive. “It was excellent! I am recharged and excited about going back to work and trying new ideas. Best day spent at Mid-Am in 10 years,” commented one workshop participant.

The Midwinter Conference, now in its sixth successful year, recorded 831 registrants who gained a wealth of information from speakers that addressed business and industry issues over the three days of the event. The conference, which was arranged in concurrent tracks including landscape, retail garden centers, greenhouse growers, grass and turf, trees and shrubs, and management, provided industry professionals with industry information to assist them in improving their businesses and skills.

One of the more popular sessions was “Tree Biology and the Effects of Pruning” presented by Dr. Rex Bastian of The Care of Trees. “Excellent! Keep him coming back,” commented one participant. Another remarked, “Terrific! I’ve seen Dr. Bastian before and I always love his information and enthusiastic delivery.”

Other popular sessions included “Immigrant & Ethnic Workers: How to Recruit, Hire, and Retain the Best” presented by Bob Losyk, “Aspects of Growing Using Non-Toxic Controls of Pests,” by Dr. Raymond Cloyd of the University of Illinois, “Shrub Roses that Work in the Midwest,” by Ping Lim of Bailey Nurseries, and “Win the War Against Big Box Stores” by Dave Ratner.

Another popular aspect of Mid-Am 2005 was the Student Career Center, which hosted 345 students from more than 30 colleges and universities from around the Midwest who visited with 75 employers. The Career Center creates an informative and casual atmosphere bringing together students studying horticulture and employers to exchange information. Employers and students alike found the event productive and beneficial.

Plans now focus toward next year when Mid-Am is scheduled for Jan. 18 through Jan. 20, 2006 in Lakeside Center at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center.

Mid-Am is sponsored by the Illinois Nurserymen’s Association, Illinois Landscape Contractors Association and the Wisconsin Landscape Federation, and is endorsed by the Indiana Nursery & Landscape Association, the Iowa Nursery & Landscape Association, the Michigan Nursery & Landscape Association, the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association and the Nebraska Nursery & Landscape Association. For more information, contact Mid-Am at 847/526-2010, www.midam.org or mail@midam.org.