2022 Garden Center Conference & Expo Keynote Highlight


Take Back Control: The Importance Of Driving Trends Instead Of Chasing Them

Monday, August 1, 2022
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

When it comes to keeping up with trends, are you in the driver’s seat or a passenger hanging on for dear life? Keeping up with trends in the marketplace can feel like riding a roller coaster. By the time you react and start to tap into a new gardening or houseplant trend, your customers may already be moving on. Would you rather let social media influencers determine what you need to sell then chase down that product…or would you rather control that conversation from the start? As new and inexperienced gardeners search for guidance and inspiration, now is the time to take charge and lead from the front. Leslie will dig deeper into this idea and inspire you to quit chasing trends, and take the wheel as trend setters.

Key Takeaways:

  • The nature of current gardening & houseplant trends
  • How our customers are being influenced
  • How to transform from a trend chaser to a trendsetter

The 2022 Garden Center Conference & Expo welcomes Leslie Halleck for this special keynote that will explore ways to take control of gardening trends, lead conversations and be the driving force behind customers’ purchases.

Leslie Halleck

Leslie Halleck

Certified Pro Horticulturist, Consultant, Author
Halleck Horticultural
www.lesliehalleck.com

Leslie F. Halleck is a certified professional horticulturist (ASHS) who has spent her 28-year career hybridizing horticulture science with home gardening consumer needs. Halleck earned a B.S. in Biology/Botany from The University of North Texas and an M.S. in Horticulture from Michigan State University. Halleck's professional experience is well-rounded, with time spent in field research, public gardens, landscaping, garden center retail, and horticulture consulting and communications.

Halleck currently runs Halleck Horticultural, LLC, through which she provides horticultural consulting, business and marketing strategy, product development and branding, and content creation for green industry companies. Halleck is an award-winning marketer and writer for industry and consumer publications, and columnist for GIE Media. Her previous positions include General Manager for independent garden center North Haven Gardens in Dallas, Texas, and Director of Horticulture Research at The Dallas Arboretum. Her book "Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers" was released by Timber Press in June 2018. Her book "Plant Parenting" was released in June 2019 and her latest book "Tiny Plants" was released in May 2021.