Farwest Show to Offer Education, Networking
The 2016 Farwest Show, Aug. 25-27, in Portland, Oregon, will offer attendees a comprehensive learning experience. Early-Bird discount is available online until July 31 at www.FarwestShow.com/register.shtml.
Biological control expert, Ronald Valentin is one of this year’s speakers. Valentin is the technical lead in North America for Bioline Agrosciences Inc. He will deliver a talk, “Biocontrol: Starting BCAs in Propagation, Starting with a ‘Clean’ Plant and Understanding Life Cycles,” to help give greenhouse growers a better understanding on the impact of BCAs as a first line of defense for plugs. His presentation will take place August 27, at 10 a.m. This session will be translated in Spanish.
One of the show’s “Walk the Show Floor with Experts” segments will focus on greenhouse perspectives with industry consultant Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, owner of Buglady Consulting. She will lead attendees around the show floor, pointing out her favorite products, sharing thoughts on what’s new and interesting and giving personal insight related to greenhouse production through biologic control and pesticides. The Walk will take place Friday, Aug. 26, at 2 p.m.
Wainwright-Evans also will be conducting two education seminars during the show: How to Manage Pests While Protecting the Pollinators and Bio-control Quality– Know What Your Are Getting.
Another session is focused on garden retail in the Idea Center for Retailers. Located on the Expo floor, beginning each day at 11 a.m. and running at half-hour intervals, garden center owners and employees can listen and participate in scheduled free sessions as industry experts share advice, how-to, and products.
Topics include trending and native plants, speaking to consumers, social media, containers and combos, pollinators, merchandising and signage, edibles and foodscaping, among others. Additionally, The Garden Center Group will present the best retail finds from the Expo floor at the end of day on Aug. 26. All sessions are free to registered Farwest attendees.
In addition, a networking event designed to connect the industry’s professionals under 40 will be hosted. Emergent: A Group for Growing Professionals will take place on Aug. 25, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., in VIP Room B.
Originating five years ago as the Young Nursery Professionals Group, Emergent: A Group for Growing Professionals now boasts nearly 2,500 of the nation’s young minds in horticulture.
The 2016 Farwest Show will be offering discounts on show registration through July 31. Pre-registrants will receive savings of 15 percent to 50 percent depending on what segment of the show they attend. Discounts apply to all events on the Farwest agenda– the 3-day Expo, all seminars and pesticide classes, and the show’s special events, which include retail garden centers and wholesale growers tours. Students and teachers receive a special discount of 50 percent for All-Access Pass.
Convenient registration for Early-Bird discount is available online at www.FarwestShow.com/register.shtml. For further questions, call Allison Pennell, event and program coordinator, at 503-582-2010.