NFF to Meet in February in Chicago
The National Floriculture Forum (NFF) will meet from Feb. 16-17, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois.
The NFF continues an annual tradition dating back to the early 1990s, with an educational meeting for industry leaders, university faculty, graduate students and government scientists from academic institutions, governmental agencies and the greenhouse industry.
The NFF brings together diverse floricultural communities with the objectives to:
- Address issues of importance to the floriculture industry,
- Form collaborative relationships, and
- Improve communication within the American floriculture industry to share and disseminate information.
The 2019 NFF will open with an optional tour on Saturday morning to the Chicago Botanic Garden. At the Chicago Botanic Garden, Dr. Jim Ault will lead a tour of the newly renovated greenhouses and speak about the scientific endeavors of the garden, which includes the breeding and introduction program associated with Chicagoland Grows. There also will be a tour of the gardens.
Following the tour and lunch, there will be a business meeting with presentations from various speakers on research funding opportunities, industry trends and more. Faculty members and graduate students will also be asked to update the group on their programs including enrollments, and teaching, research and extension programs. This will continue into Sunday morning’s session.
On Saturday evening, Dr. Charlie Hall, Ellison Chair in International Floriculture at Texas A&M University, will address the group on “Incorporating the Value of Plants and Our Industry into Curricula.”
Registration for the NFF is $150, thanks to financial support from the American Floral Endowment. This fee includes the tour to the Chicago Botanic Garden, including bus transportation on Saturday morning, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and refreshments at breaks.
To register for the Forum and arrange your hotel reservation, go to endowment.org and click on the National Floriculture Forum link, followed by the Registration link.
The host hotel is the Crowne Plaza O’Hare Hotel and Conference Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The hotel will provide free shuttle transportation to and from O’Hare International Airport. Registration for this discounted hotel rate is due by Jan. 15.
For specific questions, contact the 2019 event organizer, Dr. Marvin Miller of Ball Horticultural Co. at mnmiller@ballhort.com.
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