Garden Center Group sets fall event schedule

The Garden Center Group will host its 10th Fall Event Sept. 27 - 30 in Newport News, Va. The conference's slogan is "It's all about business... the strategies, tactics and tools that make great things happen." Attendees will spend the four days taking in business-building workshops, panel discussions, a garden center tour and a vendor showcase in a real-life garden center setting. For more information, click here.

Here is the schedule:

Monday, Sept. 27

-Hotel Check-In Newport News Marriott at City Center

Noon - Binder & Name Badge pick-up outside THE GRAND BALLROOM

2:00 - 4:00 - "Survivor Skills Toolbox" ... Three 30 minute segments with discussion and panels on Survivor Skills for Marketing, Finance and People.

4:00 - 6:00 - "The Top 10 Internet Marketing Tools For Small Business" John Arnold, author of the best-selling book, E-Marketing for Dummies ... This session reveals the Top 10 Internet Marketing Trends, shows you which ones are best for small business owners, and walks you through the latest tips and tools for executing on your marketing ideas. Topics include search engine marketing, social media, email, mobile marketing, blogging, online advertising, and more.

6:00 - 8:00 - Opening Reception, Newport News Marriott ROTUNDA

Tuesday, Sept. 28

All session in The Grand Ballroom Salons I & II

7:15 - 8:00 - Continental Breakfast outside THE GRAND BALLROOM

8:00 - 8:30 - Opening Observations ... Robert Hendrickson, The Garden Center Group Managing Director

8:30 - 10:00 - "The Dynamics of Family Business" Henry Hutcheson, ReGeneration Partners ... Being the one in the family who could read the road maps on vacation does not always prepare you to lead the family enterprise. Negotiating the twists and turns of the business marketplace takes the ability to visualize both long and short term outcomes of your planning and leadership. Without it you’ll never know when you are off the map.

10:00 - 10:30 Break

10:30 - 12:00 - "The Reimagined Consumer Culture" Greg Prang, PhD, The Hartman Group ... This presentation highlights that consumers are no longer tied to the traditions of their parents shopping habits. Today's consumers have different aspirations. They desire something new, something better. Something to hope for.

Consumers are more optimistic about choices they are making during these tough economic times. The term "sustainability," in many ways has become synonymous with responsibility for consumers or just "doing the right thing." The presentation offers insights into the negative outlook consumers have for the economy and the positive outcome they feel will result by making sustainable purchase decisions.

12:00 - 1:30 - Lunch & Awards

1:30 - 3:00 - "The Magic of Meaningful Engagement" David Weigelt, Immersion Active, author of Dot Boom: Marketing To Boomers Through Meaningful Online Engagement ... Being an influential brand with baby boomers online is the result of meaningful engagement. Your brand should not only be a part of boomers' online conversations, it should influence them. This starts by defining what meaningful engagement means for the largest and fastest growing group of consumers on the Internet and delving into the social media avenues they are adopting at rapid rates.

3:00 - 3:30 - Break

3:30 - 5:00 - "Selling Without Selling: Finding Your Voice, Leveraging Your Relationships and Connecting With Your Customers!" Michael Katz, Blue Penguin Development ... There are one trillion web pages, 65,000 iPhone apps and 10,500 radio stations - our world is exploding with information, new media tools and content. But how do you make yourself heard above the din? How do you connect with customers so that they buy more, more often (and tell their friends)?

Here's what the answer isn't: One more newspaper ad or $10 coupon or promotional e-mail blast. You've already tried that and it's not working.

Going forward, the winners are going to be those people and companies who build and leverage relationships. In this fast-paced session, relationship marketing expert Michael Katz explains how to define and develop your authentic voice, how to connect with and take care of your most profitable customers, and how to make real and lasting connections in the communities you serve. All of which adds up to more business.

6:00 - 7:30 - P&L Reception (by invitation for 2009 P&L Study Participants Only)


Wednesday, Sept. 29

Real Life Retailing Tour (Watch for more details on tour stops)

6:15 - 7:30 - Continental Breakfast in the Rotunda

7:30 SHARP! - Motor Coaches depart Newport News Marriott

- White's Old Mill Garden Center, Chesapeake, Va.

- McDonald's Garden Center, Virginia Beach, Va.

-LUNCH at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, Norfolk, Va.

- Anderson's Home & Garden Showplace, Newport News, Va.

Each stop will include plenty of time for photos as well as Q&A sessions with owners and managers regarding operational issues.

No "drive by shooting" schedule here... this tour puts you in the middle of how these centers position themselves to stand out in their market.

Thursday, Sept. 30

7:15 - 8:00 - Continental Breakfast outside THE GRAND BALLROOM

8:00 - 9:30 - "When It Comes To HR" Jean Seawright, Seawright & Associates, Inc. ... With a multitude of labor and employment bills in Congress that impact small businesses to new and unusual challenges in the workplace, it's definitely time for an HR update from Jean Seawright! To help keep you up-to-speed with the latest HR issues, Jean will provide a broad overview of multiple topics... communicable diseases in the workplace, social networking risks and realities, new handbook policies that every business needs, pending legislation that will change your HR practices and more! You don't want to miss this important session where you'll leave with practical ideas, critical tips, new policies, and vital knowledge that you need to successfully manage and lead the HR functions in your business.

9:30 - 10:00 - Break

10:00 - 12:00 - " The Road To Remarkable" Doug Stephens, Retail Prophet ... Consumers have less time and more stores to choose from. Success in retail comes down to being remarkable and standing out from competitors. Remarkable businesses develop a loyal following, uncontested market space and ultimately survive the test of time. The Road to Remarkable will spark your organizations' imagination and provide proven strategies to move your business from ordinary to extraordinary.

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch

1:00 - 2:30 - "The Road To Remarkable Retailer of the Year"

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