New England Grows sees 3 percent spike in attendance

Jeff Hodgson, Chicago Weather Brokerage president, outlines the risk mitigation benefits of CME snowfall contracts during an “Ask the Experts” session at New England Grows in Boston. The show drew more than 13,000 attendees this year.Cooperative weather and an enhanced education program teamed to boost New England Grows’ 2010 attendance to 13,044, eclipsing the 2009 turnout by 3 percent. Landscape contractors, growers, retailers and educators joined more than 600 exhibitors for the conference, held Feb. 3-5 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

This was the 18th anniversary of the Northeast’s premier horticulture trade show, a conference with a definite landscape bent. Last year, a portion of the prospective turnout was missing  as steady snow plucked away many contractors who also offer winter snow removal services. With mostly sunny skies, there were no such diversions this year.

There were two other likely boons to attendance, as well. Some 100 of the vendors promoting products and services at the show were new to the event, meaning attendees had plenty of fresh products to enjoy. Also, show organizers put special emphasis on a solution-based educational program that featured 30-plus seminars led by noted speakers from all segments of the industry. Talks focused on innovation, emerging trends and research finds, as a “Who’s Who” speaker lineup updated New England industry professionals on a gamut of plant-, retail- and landscape-related topics.

The 2010 speaker roster included sustainability expert Tom Wessels, landscape specialists Craig Ruppert and Larry Weaner, trend expert Suzie McCoy, merchandising guru Pete Luckett and John Backert, director of horticulture at Churchill Downs.

The best-attended sessions included: “Living Walls: The Next Generation of Green Space,” “Retail Merchandising: Mavens, Magic & More!,” “Using Annual Color to Add Interest to the Landscape,” “Great Plants for Challenging Conditions,” and “Delivering Better Water Management with Sustainable Garden Design.”

Plus, for the first time, the event featured “Ask the Expert” mini sessions, during which extension personnel, university faculty from around the country and GIE Media editors traded notions with show-goers at opposite ends of the convention center. The interactive learning opportunities drew a steady stream of visitors. 

GIE Media editor Mike Zawacki led  “Building a Landscape Business During Tough Economic Times” and “Maintaining Quality Golf Course Conditions in a Down Economy.” Fellow GIE Media editors Kelli Rodda (NMPro Magazine) and Yale Youngblood (Garden Center Magazine) discussed nursery and retail matters, respectively. Jeff Hodgson, Chicago Weather Brokerage president, discussed CME snowfall contracts during his talk, “Mitigating the Risk of Snow Removal.”

“This is a unique event,” said New England Grows’ president Jon Ciffolillo, MCLP of Greenscapes, Taunton, Mass. “Every year, thousands of green industry professionals come to Boston to experience New England Grows where they find the best new ideas, the finest networking opportunities and the most innovative solutions in the marketplace today.
 
“We’re all pleased with this year’s turnout,” Ciffolillo said.

New England Grows is an educational partnership between the New England Nursery Association, Massachusetts Arborists Association, Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals and Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association. Its co-sponsor network includes 40 allied green industry organizations.