Jul 22, 2013

So What Did You Think? By Tim Hodson

The 2013 edition of OFA Short Course is in the books.

From everyone I have talked to so far, the trade show and conference was one of the best in recent years. The early and unofficial attendance numbers and buzz have all been extremely positive. Hopefully, that is a good sign for our industry.

It was nice to get home Tuesday night and rest my aching feet that had been running non-stop for four days in Columbus. I was sore and tired, but it was a good sore and tired!

There are so many different things going on during Short Course, it really all goes by in a blur. Introducing GPN’s 40 Under 40, scheduling appointment after appointment, attending top notch educational sessions, hanging out at Unplugged, listening to keynote presentations and stopping by numerous receptions “¦ the list goes on and on.

One really fun event is BASF’s Growers Pyramid – a variation of the $25,000 Pyramid game show. On Monday afternoon, Jasmina Dolce and I raised $500 for the Jack Williams Scholarship Fund by playing “The Pyramid” with our fellow trade magazine editors. All totaled, BASF generously donated $3850 to the charities selected by each magazine.

As I mentioned last week, the big news from Short Course this year is that the event will be expanding in 2014 by adding 50,000 square feet of exhibit space to host more companies that sell products and services to garden retailers. There are also plans to add more educational and networking opportunities to serve the increasing attendance. You can learn more about the expansion plans at ofa.org/ofa/Events/retail_offering.aspx.

And just as a reminder, the dates for 2014 OFA Short Course are July 12-15, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio.

I think I have recovered from 2013 OFA Short Course, now it’s time to start preparing for 2014.

Did you attend Short Course this year? If so, what did you think? Drop me a line at thodson@greatamericanpublish.com and let me know how 2014 OFA Short Course was for you and your company.

– Tim

P.S. By the way, we have posted several photos from Short Course on the GPN Facebook page.