Retail Evolution: Preparing for Garden Center 3.0 at New England Grows

BOSTON, Mass. – New England Grows, the premier conference and trade exposition for green industry professionals, announces that Garden Center Success will help kick off the event on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014 ,from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Now in its fourth year, the focus of this one-day intensive seminar is "Retail Evolution: Preparing for Garden Center 3.0." 
 
Last year, more than 600 garden center professionals attended Garden Center Success during New England Grows in Boston. Participants gained an understanding of real world retail trends, learned from peers who are getting it done in their own independent garden centers, and took away new ideas to help increase sales, optimize their merchandising and adapt their businesses to better suit the demands of the marketplace.
 
Keynote speakers include Alison Kenney Paul, vice chairman – U.S. retail & distribution leader for consulting firm Deloitte LLP, who will challenge IGCs to think critically about brand vision, customer experience and staying relevant in an ever-changing retail space. As a preeminent retail trends expert, Paul regularly advises Deloitte’s largest Fortune 500 retail clients. Building on Alison’s 30,000-foot view of the shifting retail landscape, Anna Ball, CEO and president of Ball Horticultural Co., Inc. will offer a fresh look at the most relevant trends impacting horticulture today. She’ll share examples of how innovative garden centers are tapping into global trends and help IGCs discover where they will fit into the industry of tomorrow. 

The seminar will be peppered with "local color" presenters including Lynne Bauer of Stonegate Gardens in Lincoln, Mass.; Chris Kennedy of Kennedy’s Country Gardens in Scituate, Mass.; and Scott Longfellow of Longfellow’s Greenhouses in Manchester, Maine, who will contribute their best ideas for staying ahead in an evolving marketplace.
Grower Talks/Green Profit magazine is the official media sponsor of Garden Center Success 2014. 
 
New England Grows will be held in Boston, Mass., on Wednesday, Feb. 5 – Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. In addition to a three-day line up of 30 business-building seminars, Grows 2014 will offer a trade exposition of more than 600 exhibitors showcasing new and innovative products, plants and equipment across key categories.
 
There is no additional charge to participate in Garden Center Success, but seating is limited and advance registration is required. New England Grows registration is $49 per person before Jan. 15, 2014, and $69 thereafter. If you sign up four or more people from the same company before Jan. 15, the price per person is just $45.
 
To learn more and to register, visit www.NewEnglandGrows.org.
 
Photos: Above: Retail trend expert Alison Kenney Paul will be a keynote speaker at Garden Center Success during New England Grows in Boston, Mass.
 
Below: Anna Ball, president and CEO of Ball Horticultural Co., Inc., will share global horticulture trends at Garden Center Success during New England Grows February 2014.