Industry groups collaborate for educational event

The Garden Center Symposium and the Midwest Perennial Conference are offering a joint educational opportunity for garden center and landscape operations January 23 and 24, 2013 in Waukesha, Wisc.

Together, the two programs have been running for 72 years. The joint venture will include speakers, round-tables and one-on-one opportunities with leading industry experts. Scheduled speakers include 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 and Linda Zoerb of La Crosse Floral.

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

”This joint program will be a bit of a change for both groups, but collaboration is vital to the success of the industry,” says Eileen Nelson, executive director of the Garden Center Symposium. “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. By providing a program with outstanding speakers and subjects relevant to a broader audience both groups feel they will be able to maximize their value and thus continue to contribute to the success of the industry.”

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 on the Garden Center Symposium website.