Surging attendance and shrinking trade show space have facilitated a change of venue for the annual New England Grows conference.
This year’s event, marking year No. 12 for the regional gathering of green industry professionals, was set in the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Mass., Feb.5-7. But beginning next year, conference-goers will assemble in the Boston Convention & Exposition Center (BCEC) – an $800 million state-of-the-art conference facility on the city’s waterfront. In addition to the new location, the 2005 conference will offer several new features including mid-week dates – Tuesday, Feb. 1 through Thursday, Feb. 3; a redesigned and expanded floor plan with more than 1,300 booths; and educational training on the marketplace floor.
The 2004 New England Grows attracted 11,688 participants. Opening day of the show boasted record-breaking attendance, but an ice storm hindered travel in New England on both subsequent days.
This year’s New England Grows marketplace featured 620 exhibiting firms in more than 925 booths. The five exhibit halls, covering 200,000 square feet, were packed with the latest plant material, equipment, products and services for green industry professionals. The diverse mix of educational sessions was well attended, with industry speakers providing more than 30 hours of top-notch training.
True to its emphasis on industry support, New England Grows presented $30,000 in grant awards to the six New England state cooperative extension systems. To date, the New England Grows endowment fund has donated more than $250,000 to support services that directly impact the green industry through the region’s extension systems.
New England Grows is sponsored by the New England Nursery Association, Associated Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Arborists Association, Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association, and is co-sponsored by more than 30 allied green industry organizations.
The author is Assistant Editor-Internet of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at aanderson@lawnandlandscape.com.