Speaker Frequently Asked Questions
Please CLICK HERE to view our speaker guidelines and tips.
For your participation as a speaker at the Garden Center Conference & Expo you are provided with a complimentary Conference & Expo registration pass to the conference. Garden Center magazine will send you access to a speaker portal where you will be able to register for your complimentary pass to attend.
Speakers will check in at the dedicated speaker registration desk. There you will pick up your badge.
If you are planning on providing your presentation on-site, we ask that you have it on a USB drive at the time of check-in. A Garden Center magazine staff member will save it at this time to provide to the AV technicians.
A block of discounted rooms is available at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center to event attendees at special group rate of $189.00 per night plus tax for a single/double occupancy until July 14, 2025, or until the room block is full.
You can book your hotel on your own CLICK HERE or you can complete the hotel registration task in your speaker portal.
The Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center is connected by a walkway to the Crown Center.
For more information on travel to/from the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center CLICK HERE.
Speakers are not required to stay at the host hotel. However, anyone who books outside of the group room block will not be eligible for any of the discounts, benefits or concessions provided by the Garden Center Conference & Expo or the host hotel.
While speakers are not required to remain at the event after their session has taken place, we do encourage all speakers to take advantage of their complimentary Conference & Expo Pass and attend some of the great educational sessions and networking opportunities that the Garden Center Conference & Expo has to offer.
All speakers are asked to check in at their session room 15 minutes before their session starts.
A series of pre-planned questions may be issued by the moderator to all speakers prior to the session. Audience questions will not be arranged beforehand. Please be prepared to answer other questions regarding your topic.
Yes, Garden Center Conference & Expo has provided a PowerPoint template for you to use.
CLICK HERE to view presentation instructions and download the Garden Center Conference & Expo PowerPoint template.
The Garden Center Conference & Expo will provide the following in each session room.
- Stage
- Podium with microphone (moderator)
- Microphones (handheld and/or wireless lavaliers)
- Wireless presenter control
- Confidence monitor
- LCD projector & screen
- Dedicated audiovisual technician
Yes, the session room AV technicians will either pin a wireless lavalier on you or provide you with a handheld microphone when you check into your session room. The AV technicians will turn on/off your microphone and control your volume from the back of the room.
If you plan to send your presentation prior to the conference, please send it to Emily Kriss at EKriss@gie.net.
If you plan to provide it on site, please bring a USB drive with your presentation on it with you to check in at the registration desk. A conference staff member will save your presentation to our files and return your USB drive at that time. While our conference staff will handle getting the presentation to our AV technicians, please be sure to bring your thumb drive with you for your presentation in case there are any issues with the file.
Yes, if you are planning on using a PowerPoint presentation, we ask that you provide the presentation by July 28, 2025, or on a USB flash drive on site when you pick up your conference badge.
The dedicated AV technician in the session room will upload your presentation and test it when you arrive at your session room 15 minutes before you present. If you have audio or video embedded in your presentation, please let the Garden Center Conference & Expo staff know when you provide your presentation.
No, the sessions at the Garden Center Conference & Expo are not being recorded in their entirety. We will have a videographer present at the event filming B-roll footage for our event promotions but the content of the session will not be recorded.
Yes, the Garden Center Conference & Expo staff has created a full promotional toolkit for speakers to use to help promote themselves and their session at the event. Click here to access the Promotional Toolkit.
Business casual attire is appropriate for the event. We recommend you carry a light jacket or sweater for the air-conditioned meeting space and exhibit hall.