Oct 1, 2015
The 2016 Garden Center Symposium Releases Speaker Line-Up

The 2016 Garden Center Symposium, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 20-21, 2016, promises to provide plenty of ideas ready to help IGC's increase their income stream.

The 2016 Garden Center Symposium, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 20-21, 2016, promises to provide plenty of ideas ready to help IGC’s increase their income stream. This annual event, now in its 52nd year, is held at the Country Springs Hotel and Conference Center on Golf Road in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

The 2016 program topics will provide practical marketing and workshop ideas, as well as new and hardy annual and perennial suggestions. Additionally, the group will be treated to an up-close look at the evolution of Minneapolis’ Tangletown Gardens from an empty corner gas station to an award-winning garden center and locally sourced restaurant. Dean Engelmann, one of Tangletown’s founders, is providing a narrative of their adventures and will have lots of ideas that you can use locally.

The speaker line-up includes:

  • Tina Bemis – Ideas for designing workshops and telling the story of your garden center through events and promotions
  • Mark Dwyer – New and exciting plants and displays that provide more than just beauty
  • Dean Engelmann – The story of Tangletown Gardens and ideas you can use to showcase your garden center
  • Leslie Halleck – Suggestions for defining your identity as well as information on the latest trends; what consumers are looking for and how your garden center can meet those demands
  • Dan Heider – Best practices for working with your customers and pesticides
  • Leonard Perry – Perennials and the Landscape; factors affecting perennial hardiness and using this information to benefit your customers

The 2016 Garden Center Symposium is approved for Landscape Industry Certified recertification at 1 CEU per hour of instruction attended.

As in the past, the event will be well supported by its trade show participants. Registration fees include breaks, noon meals, a light evening buffet on Wednesday and round-table discussions with the speakers.

Registration opens on-line on Nov. 1 and program details can be found at www.gardencentersymposium.com.