Your Garden Center
What do you need to know to help your garden center be successful? Listen to John Stanley, a retail guru from Australia, talk about marketing your story. In the afternoon, join him for his keynote presentation on identifying new retail trends - it will help you get ahead of the curve! At the end of the afternoon, join Steve Cissel as he discusses the Garden Pilot app and what it can mean for your garden center.
John Stanley: Retailing is about Story Telling
Sunday, January 9th; 10:00 - 11:00 A.M.
Following John's presentation, join him for a book signing at Ceramo Company's booth (booth #1109)
John Stanley is a coach, consultant, author, speaker and trainer. He has been described as the 'Retail Guru' and he has also been described as the leading horticultural consultant in the world today. That is because his skills in perishable retailing : food, plants, flowers and pets, anything that cannot be put on a shelf and ignored , in fact, apply equally to all fields of retailing. John is one of the top ten percent of speakers in the world. His presentations are enthusiastic, charismatic and engaging . As a result he regularly overfills a conference room and has delegates standing at the back, hanging on to his every word.
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Aaron Shiver: Visual Merchandising 101
Aaron Shiver was born with gardening in his blood. The grandson of an Alabama farmer, at the early age of 14, he was the youngest member of his local garden club while working weekends at a local garden center - where he was paid in plants. He spent his Saturdays selling daylilies from his grandfather's front yard. After school and some other retailing, he served as a visual merchandiser at McDonald Garden Center, where Owner Eddie Anderson encouraged his talents in gardening and design. You may have seen Aaron's talents displayed at the Garden Center of America's Fashion in Bloom event, where he was head designer. He partnered with Monrovia in 2007 to become the company's Boutique Designer and Visual Merchandiser. He travels extensively to Monrovia's Boutique customers to train garden center staff on merchandising techniques designed to boost sales.
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Improving the Communication Loop to Increase Sales: Media, Master Gardeners, Garden Centers and Growers; a panel discussion led by Maria Zampini
Sunday, January 9th; 2:30 - 3:30 P.M.
A customer walks in to your store holding the latest local news article with money in hand asking to buy the featured plant and you weren't even aware of it being published? How frustrating! This lively panel discussion includes a grower, retailer, master gardener and garden writer to address how all parties can work together to imrpove the communication gap which can ensure higher profits and successful, happy customers who'll come back for more plants!
Maria Zampini is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science in horticulture. She is president of Lake County New Plants LLC which does sales, marketing and licensing of LCN Selections new plant introductions. She is a nationally known lecturer on new plants and plant patents and trademarks amongst other topics. She is also a free-lance writer and her work includes the monthly Nursery Insight column in American Nurseryman magazine. She was most recently named a Contibuting Editor for Horticulture magazine where she'll pen the Gardening Life feature in 2011.
With Panelists:
Bill Ruppert
Jennifer Schamber, Greenscape Gardens
Jennifer Schamber is the General Manager of Greenscape Gardens in Manchester, Missouri. She was the recipient of the 2007 Green Profit Magazine Young Retailer Award and her family-owned and operated business is listed as a Revolutionary 100 Garden Center by Today's Garden Center Magazine. She currently serves as the President of the Landscape & Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis and Vice President of the Horticulture Co-op of Metro St. Louis.
- Ken McVicker, Van Essen Nursery Company
Pamela J. Bennett
Pam is the State Master Gardener volunteer Coordinator for Ohio and Horticulture Educator and Director for Ohio State University Extension in Clark County. She has a BS in Landscape Horticulture and an MS in Human and Community Resource Development from Ohio State University. Her responsibilities include providing leadership for the Ohio Master Gardener volunteer program, conducting consumer and commercial horticulture programs, and serving as Co-Chair of the OSU Nursery Short Course, a premier educational program for the green industry.
Pam specializes in herbaceous ornamental plant trials and evaluates more than 200 varieties of annuals yearly and presents programs on annuals and perennials as well as other landscape topics. She oversees the Gateway Learning Gardens, a 5 acre demonstration/teaching garden and is the President of the Friends of the Ohio Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden.
Pam lectures frequently on a variety of horticulture topics ranging from annuals, perennials and woody ornamentals to plant maintenance. She also writes a weekly gardening column for the Springfield News and Sun and the Dayton Daily News. In 2010, Pam received the National Winner for Audio Recording and National Finalist for Personal Column from the National Association of Agriculture Agents. In 2009, she received the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association's Teacher/Public Service Award. She has judged nationally for America in Bloom and internationally for Communities in Bloom. Prior to joining OSU Extension in 1992, Pam had 11 years of retail garden center management experience.
Steve Cissel: The Garden Pilot app
Sunday, January 9th; 4:00 - 5:00 P.M.
The GardenPilot iPhone app places garden plant and product research in the palm of the consumers' hand. The iPhone's GPS system allows the phone to present locally relevant content, including the location of retailers that have the plants and products needed for a successful garden experience.
Steve Cissel is a Home and Garden veteran of more than 25 years. He has served the industry with leadership positions in local, regional and national associations. Known in the Home and Garden industry as an 'Internet Marketing Expert', Steve has spoken at the CanWest Horticultural Trade Show in Vancouver, British Columbia; the ANLA Management Clinic in Louisville, Kentucky; the Retail Experience in Cleveland, Ohio; and the Chesapeake Green Educational Event in Baltimore, Maryland. He covers such topics as web site design, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing and Effective Internet Advertising.
Steve is a graduate of Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture. Steve, his wife Karen and their two boys are active members of Mt. Airy Bible Church in Mt. Airy, Maryland.
