Jul 2, 2017

Are You Columbus Bound? By Tim Hodson

In less than two weeks, the horticulture industry will converge in Columbus, Ohio, for Cultivate’17. Will you be there?

Cultivate’17 will take place July 15-18, at the newly-renovated Greater Columbus Convention Center.

The renovation adds more than 30,000 square feet of exhibit space, multiple new session rooms and additional parking.

Approximately 10,000 people are expected to attend the event. There are more than 100 educational sessions planned and the trade show will have nearly 700 exhibitors on hand to show you their latest products and services to help you be more successful in your business.

This year, AmericanHort will introduce a daylong workshop, CareerUP, that is designed to provide the industry’s young and emerging professionals the skills, information and inspiration they need to advance their careers, love their jobs, and help the industry grow. It will take place July 15.

The keynote speaker on Sunday is Jon Gordon, a popular business management expert and author, who will discuss The Energy Bus — different ways for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment. Gordon will outline his approach to addressing the different challenges we all face with positive energy stemming from vision, trust, optimism, enthusiasm and purpose — to help drive your company forward with focus and more engaged employees. His presentation is scheduled for the morning of July 16.

On July 17, AmericanHort’s leadership team, Charlie Hall, chief economist, Craig Regelbrugge, senior vice president and Ken Fisher, president/CEO, will present a State of the Industry to provide attendees with valuable insights on where our industry is today. It is your opportunity to hear their perspectives on current legislation, the economy, today’s business environment and more.

There are also four different tours for attendees to get an in-person look at how things are done by their peers — a greenhouse floriculture tour; a plant production and nursery research tour; a retail tour; and an urban agriculture tour.

These are just a few of the highlights for 2017. You can find plenty more by going to www.cultivate17.org.

Cultivate’17 is an excellent opportunity for you and your staff to learn and network to help you grow your plants and your business.

It’s a jam-packed four days that you don’t want to miss.

So, I have to ask, will I see you in C-bus?

— Tim 

P.S. The entire team from GPN and Lawn & Garden Retailer also will be in Columbus, so be sure to stop by our new booth location (#1512) and say “Hi!”