May 8, 2018

AAS, NGB Summer Summit to Take Place in Louisiana

The National Garden Bureau and All-America Selections plan to head to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for their annual Summer Summit.

After two very successful years in the north (Rochester, New York, and Madison, Wisconsin), this year the two non-profit organizations will be heading south for four days to explore trial grounds, display gardens, garden centers and therapeutic gardens in and around New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

The Summer Summit is set to take place Oct. 2-5, beginning in the Big Easy and ending up in the state capital. Attendance at the Summer Summit is open to anyone in the industry.

While technically the event won’t take place in the summer, the weather in Louisiana should be very summer-like.

The schedule of events includes:

• Oct. 2: Registration is open from 4-6 p.m. A Welcome Reception will take place 6-8 p.m.  at the Drury Inn and Suites New Orleans hotel in New Orleans.
• Oct. 3: This day is an immersion into the New Orleans culture with visits to AAS Display Garden, the New Orleans Botanical Garden, followed by city tours concluding with a “Dinner with Peers” along the esteemed Magazine Street.
• Oct. 4: On this day, participants will travel to Baton Rouge for a hearty welcome from the AAS Trial judges at Louisiana State University includes a tour of the very realistic and interesting Rural Life Museum. The annual Awards Banquet is this evening, held at the beautiful Burden Botanical Garden, an AAS Display Garden.
• Oct. 5: An optional but short morning tour will precede the trip back to the New Orleans airport in time for afternoon and evening flights home.

The host hotel on Tuesday and Wednesday in New Orleans is the Drury Inn and Suites New Orleans (close to the action but not TOO close to interrupt business).

The hotel on Thursday in Baton Rouge is Hampton Inn and Suites Baton Rouge Downtown near the Mississippi River.

Registration is now open to attend the Summer Summit.