IGC Show’s Eighth Track Expands IGC Know2Grow Retail Conference
This year’s expanded IGC Know2Grow Retail Conference debuts a newly added eighth track, “IGC Think Tank,” the first of its kind to bring together the best minds in garden retail for a full series of panel discussions. Now with 48 sessions driven by the most minds ever at IGC, this year’s IGC Know2Grow Retail Conference offers IGC retailers even more resources to power their profits.
Leading the “IGC Think Tank” panel discussions is Larry Pfarr, owner of Leap Retail Consulting. Pfarr specializes in the in-store retail shopping experience, as well as marketing, advertising, public relations and social media. He counts more than 23 years of experience with Bachman’s Floral, Gift & Garden, where he served as Director of Visual Merchandising and Store Design for 18 years. Pfarr will lead timely, compelling discussions on what it takes to profit today. IGC retailer panelists will weigh in on topics that range from localizing merchandise and working the media to developing dynamic displays that sell more product. Sessions include :
Selling More by Showing More
Tuesday, August 20, 9 – 10:30 am
Brick and mortar stores have a selling advantage over online retailers by creating exciting in-store experiences that inspire customers to purchase. This session features examples of retailers in a wide variety of segments – home goods, sporting goods and food – successfully using in-store displays to give customers real-time suggestions of how to use the products they are selling. In this discussion, a panel of leading garden center retailers will reveal the ways they’re generating ideas and inspiration based on customer experience and response.
Panelists: Tony Fulmer, Retail Manager, Chalet; Ted Manley, Chief Operating Officer, Linder’s; Jerry Schmitt, Annual and Perennial Buyer, Stein Gardens & Gifts
Have Yourself a Profitable Christmas
Wednesday, August 21, 11 am – 12 pm
The Christmas season is the second busiest time of year for many garden centers. Selling holiday can ring in merry profits – or turn into the Grinch that stole your winter season. Holiday decisions can be difficult. There may be confusion about buying from Asia versus Europe, and questions about style versus story, local versus international, and margin and markdown. A panel of leading garden center retailers will discuss these holiday issues, plus offer tips on how to spot the hottest trends, get the best buys from vendors and merchandise to distinguish your store from the competition.
Panelists: Dean Darin, Merchandise Manager and Store Director, English Gardens; Heather McLean, Senior Manager and Buyer of Seasonal Division, Alsip Home & Nursery
Working Your Local Media
Wednesday, August 21, 2 – 3 pm
How can you connect with consumers via radio, TV and newspaper? How can your store become the local gardening hub media outlets call upon for advice? How can you work with your local media to be the go-to place for gardening content ideas and tips? Larry will use his experience as the Home and Garden Expert on KSTP TV (ABC) in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market for 16 years to lead this panel discussion.
Panelists: Jennifer Brennan, Horticulture Information Specialist and Manager of the Education Center, Chalet; Mason Day, Marketing, Ball Horticultural Company; Phyliss Williams, Co-owner, K&W Greenery
See What Selling ‘Local’ Looks Like
Wednesday, August 21, 3:15 – 4:15 pm
What does “local” mean for your garden center? How does it influence the product lines you sell, the vendors you use for sourcing, your price points and the procedures you have in place to find the “next big thing?” During this discussion, you will hear how a garden center in the Chicago suburbs has become the place for a complete range of local wildlife pest solutions. Hear from a garden center in Kentucky that is successfully sourcing 80 percent of its product in-state. Learn how these businesses and more evaluate the local market to determine the products they offer.
Panelists: Jon Carloftis, Owner, Jon Carloftis Fine Gardens and Rockcastle River Trading Company; Bill Koch, Owner, Hawthorn Gardens; Suzanne Koch, Owner, Hawthorn Gardens
Gift, Home & Seasonal Display Magic
Thursday, August 22, 10 – 11 am
Learn 18 things the pros use to create great gift, home and seasonal (Easter, Halloween and Christmas) displays. Buyers must have a merchandising plan that is easily translatable to staff, quick to install and consumer-friendly. Each of these nationally and internationally recognized retailers will share six steps they use to create and maintain great displays that appear professional and will set your garden center apart from the competition.
Panelists: Heather McLean, Senior Manager and Buyer of Seasonal Division, Alsip Home & Nursery; Linda Peterson, Home Accents Buyer, Pasquesi Home and Gardens; Josh Samples, Product Manager and Merchandiser, Rockcastle River Trading Company
Discover: The Independent Garden Center of the Future
Thursday, August 22, 11:15 am – 12:15 pm
This panel highlights some of the different formats that are at the front of today’s horticultural business-to-consumer model development in North America. See how one garden center owner made the decision to purchase an old car dealership and turn it into a destination garden center. Hear how one family’s dream to have a place that sells plants combined forces with other retailers to become reality. Find out the challenges of being a grower and a retail landlord at the same time. Hear from a young family that used an existing location to “showroom” a line of gardening-based products, extending it into one of the highest selling e-commerce sites in the country.
Panelists: Rod Grasman, Owner and Manager, Garden Crossings; Matt Horn, Owner, Matterhorn Associates
For more information and to register, visit IGCshow.com. Attendees registering by June 30 are eligible to win one of ten iPhone 5s.
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