Attendees of the Garden Center Conference and Expo (Aug. 2-4 in Minneapolis) expected to learn, share ideas and get inspired. What they may not have expected were the tears, laughter and tender emotions on display from the main stage. But over the course of the three-day event, IGC owners embraced the difficulties, triumphs and solutions explored by keynote speakers, vendors and fellow attendees alike.
“We’re so excited to be back,” said Ryan McEnaney of Bailey Nurseries. “This is all about relationship building so being able to see people year over year helps us with the business. The show has been really amazing. There’s just such a great energy being here.”
One of the more affecting and energizing sessions centered on the story of the ownership transition at Rockledge Gardens in Brevard County, Florida. Both previous and current owners explored the logistical and psychological toll of a business transition. Like any good story, there were both heroes and villains, and the audience wept and applauded in turn, relieved at the happy ending.
Offering a note of levity and charm, social media maven and garden influencer Michael Perry (@MrPlantGeek) helped IGCs understand how to approach social media in engaging and authentic ways. The theme was bravery and the importance of staying true to brand and values. But Perry points out that the conference was a nexus of learning for himself as well.
“There's so much to see over the few days,” he said. “So not only the tour, but also the sessions as well, which have been really insightful. And of course, the exhibition which has been great for me to discover lots of new plants but also new products.”
Also talking social media, the social team behind Minnesota’s own Tonkadale Gardens pulled back the curtain on the day-to-day operations. They explored the tools they used, publishing schedules and the importance of having a calendar. In a show of grace, they stayed on stage to answer questions well after their session was scheduled to end.
The sessions related to digital media were key to the decision to attend for many conference goers, including Anna Boo of Abrahamson Nurseries. “We always want to be creating new ideas,” she said. “You see a lot of garden centers that are very dated. So, when I looked at the lineup for this, I saw words like AI. I saw words like tech. I saw words that are going to keep us current, and that's really what we need to bring us into the next phase of what we want a garden center to be.”
Beyond tech, speakers like Bob Marley and Judy Sharpton found resonance in separate sessions connected to the strength of designing a store based on human behavior. Marley’s main-stage session built a virtual garden center with best practices from the UK, which were grounded in merchandising for human physiology, helpfulness and creating a destination. Sharpton, on the other hand, started from common pain-points and reached a similar conclusion: A garden center needs to be built around the way people move, feel and find interest.
Between all of these standout sessions, 14 of Garden Center magazine’s Top 100 were recognized, and 45 exhibitors offered hands-on demos and information across the 1,600-square-foot show floor. The value was easy to see and it was easy for many in attendance to encourage their peers to join.
“It's absolutely worth it,” said Grace Ames, Director of Business Development at Colonial Gardens. “You will challenge yourself and you will grow, and you will absolutely walk away with a handful of things that you can implement immediately and a whole other group of things that will be long term.”