Schedule of Events
Garden Center Conference & Expo
Exhibit Hall Hours
Monday, August 1, 2022 – 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Tuesday, August 2, 2022 – 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Times, sessions and speakers are subject to change.
01:00 PM – 08:30 PM
Building a Business Community (SOLD OUT)
Take a tour of the expansive and diverse grounds at Rockledge Gardens, and learn how the Florida IGC has worked with local businesses as well as nonprofits to create stores within the garden center. The Rockledge staff will walk you through each store-within-a-store from the beginning of the partnership through its success.
Dinner will be provided at Rockledge Gardens following the workshops and tour. Transportation from the hotel to Rockledge and back is also included.
09:00 AM – 06:30 PM
Registration Open
09:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Welcome Refreshments
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
The New Normal: Adapting the Traditional Garden Center Model to Fit Today’s Customers
Your customers certainly aren’t the same as they used to be. Since 2019, change has been happening faster than ever with customers shifting to more online, personalized, experience-based shopping preferences. But your competition isn’t other independent garden centers; it’s the big-box stores and e-commerce platforms that are not only underselling on price, but challenging the idea that buying plants is more than a transaction — it’s an experience.
Our industry needs to evolve to meet the new normal quickly, and the good news is that we’re in the perfect place to take advantage of this shopping evolution. Join Rob as he discusses how to draw in the millennial and Gen Z crowd, give customers the meaningful shopping experience they want and increase sales at your garden center.

11:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Networking Refreshment Break
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
Growing The Family Business: Expansion And Innovation At Gullo’s Garden Center
Growth is exciting, but it can also be an intimidating endeavor. As your operation matures, what do you do when your needs outgrow your current footprint? Learn how Gullo’s Garden Center has managed three expansions as the 27-year-old garden center undergoes its fourth buildout.
Join Russell Gullo, who has worked at Gullo’s since the day it opened in 1994, as he shares what he’s learned taking the IGC from an outdoor tent in its first year to the powerhouse it is today. He’ll share what he’s learned from his experience, what fueled the growth and need for expansion, the internal business and family discussions they went through and all of the planning that went into both prior and current expansions. Bring your questions to join the conversation and learn from the Top 100 garden center’s experiences with expanding their footprint to better serve their customers and grow their own plant material.

12:15 PM – 01:30 PM
Networking Lunch
01:30 PM – 02:30 PM
Smart Succession Planning



02:30 PM – 03:00 PM
Networking Refreshment Break
03:00 PM – 04:30 PM
Keynote Session - Take Back Control: The Importance of Driving Trends Instead of Chasing Them

04:30 PM – 06:30 PM
Welcome Reception/Top 100 Awards in the Exhibit Hall


08:00 AM – 06:00 PM
Registration Open
08:00 AM – 09:00 AM
Networking Breakfast
09:00 AM – 10:00 AM
The One-Hour Strategic Plan

09:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Making the Most of Your Team
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Networking Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Put The Social In Your Enterprise
More than 50% of consumers factor values into their purchase choices. Garden centers have a great opportunity to connect with these consumers by showcasing environmental, community and small business practices. From donations to civic groups to community outreach to job training programs, the things you value matter to your customers too. Learn how we can all impact the world for the better while shoring up the bottom line.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
How To Make Your Customers Successful Plant Parents
With the soaring popularity of houseplants, more and more people are bringing these living things into their homes but confused about exactly how to care for them. Googling for plant care advice tends to leave people with more questions than answers because that advice has been recycled from decades past when houseplants were treated as mere decor. Darryl brings a fresh perspective to an old hobby. His science-based, practical approach has helped thousands understand the essentials of houseplant care to become confident plant parents. Success propagates success: confident plant parents become repeat customers; plant advice that works and makes sense attracts new customers.
And how can we keep them coming back to the garden center? How do we better connect with a broader audience around houseplants? This session will also discuss the role of social media, how to use it effectively, and how to keep the interest in houseplants alive.

12:00 PM – 01:30 PM
Networking Lunch in the Exhibit Hall
01:30 PM – 02:30 PM
Build Your Brand By Being The Experts

01:30 PM – 02:30 PM
The Cannoli Factor of Employee Engagement

02:30 PM – 03:30 PM
Networking Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
02:45 PM – 03:30 PM
Technology & Solutions Session - Epicor/Proven Winners/LandscapeHub

03:30 PM – 04:30 PM
Story-Telling Tips From A Theater Nerd: How Retail Is Theater And It's Time To Play!

03:30 PM – 04:30 PM
Couch to 5K New Customers: Collaborate & Create with Fellow Retailers

04:30 PM – 06:00 PM
Networking Reception in the Exhibit Hall
08:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Registration Open
08:30 AM – 09:00 AM
Networking Breakfast
09:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Making E-commerce Work For You
09:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Consumer Psychology: How They Think Influences What They Buy

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Networking Refreshment Break
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Food Safety Considerations and Human Pathogen Mitigation Strategies in CPG Organic Soil Amendments
True Organic Products is the leading manufacturer of organic fertilizer used by the major organic crop producers.
The same requirements that are expected by our customers have been applied to our CPG products.
This presentation will cover the Food Safety aspects as it relates to manufacturing of fertilizer suitable for use in organic crop production and now home gardens. We will cover the mitigation strategies, the regulatory requirements and the internal expectations that we set to benefit the retailer, the distributor and ultimately the consumer.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Roundtable Discussion: Keep the Momentum Going
Garden center operators have faced a litany of challenges over the past two years, but there's great opportunity on the horizon. In this interactive workshop, attendees will have the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned during the conference to their businesses and discuss strategies with other leaders. Attendees will gather in roundtables to share possible solutions to the following topics:
- Repeat business: How can you improve your customers' experience to keep them coming back to your store again and again?
- The benefits of plants: How are you communicating what plants can do for your customers and the environment?
- Driving trends: How do you inspire your customers and lead customers?
- Education: How can you support customers and help them succeed, especially as so many new gardeners come to your IGC?
- Facilitators will summarize roundtable discussions and share strategies with all attendees.