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The 2023 Gated Conference Program

Selling Through the Senses

Lyn Falk | Retail Works Inc.

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Experiential Merchandising: Take on this Visual Merchandising Challenge

Joe Baer | ZenGenius, Inc.

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How to be a Better Manager

Andrea Hill | Hill Management Group

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10 of the best Garden Center Event Ideas and How to Plan Them

Sue Markgraf | GreenMark Media

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The Art & Science of Pricing Products

Bridget K. Behe | Michigan State University

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TikTok Competition

Michael Fiore | Smith's Gardentown

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Succession and Exit Planning in Action: Your Exit Strategy

Chris Cimaglio | BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group and PivotPoint Business Solutions.

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Keeping New Clients Acquired During the Pandemic

Bridget K. Behe | Michigan State University

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Get Better at Understanding and Acting on Your Financial Reports

Kenneth Lane | Hathaway & Lane

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Session Descriptions

Keynote: What Will the Garden Center of Tomorrow be Like

Tuesday, August 8

When it comes to maintaining healthy retail footprints and aiming to increase revenue, looking ahead is always important. But what does the future of retail really look like in our increasingly competitive and always-evolving commerce landscape? Expect to gain real-time insight with forward-thinking perspectives on how to boost store engagement, sales and operations from Leinbach. This is a not-to-miss session to be experienced at The Garden Show!

Selling Through the Senses

Tuesday, August 8

How well is your selling environment engaging with your customers' five senses? Understand how to use your 6th sense (intuition) to recognize what makes a memorable selling environment!

Help Your Customers Become More Successful: Panel Discussion

Tuesday, August 8

We'll hear from representatives of very different independent garden centers and learn how they're doing and what they're doing to help their customers become more successful gardeners inside and outside. If you want your garden center to succeed in the short term for the long term, this is a not-to-be-missed lively discussion where attendees participate as panelists in the conversation.

TikTok Competition

Wednesday, August 9

TikTok is an incredibly valuable tool for businesses, yet some business owners can't seem to crack the code as to how to generate meaningful engagement on this fast-paced app. In this session, Michael will walk you through what the TikTok phenomenon can teach us about how to reach current and future customers.

Experiential Merchandising: Take on this Visual Merchandising Challenge

Tuesday, August 8

Visual Merchandising, known as the science behind sales, is the art and science of arranging and displaying your products and services to entice customers, create a positive brand image, and maximize your sales.

How to be a Better Manager

Tuesday, August 8

Enhance your small business management skills in just 45 minutes! Join us for "Mastering Management: Structuring Your Business for Clarity, Alignment, and Success." Learn to create clear goals, align systems, streamline processes, and shift your focus from supervision to achievement. Gain actionable insights and practical tools to drive growth and success. Don't miss this transformative session!

10 of the Best Garden Center Event Ideas and How to Plan Them

Tuesday, August 8

From farmer's markets and cocktail hours to zen events and car shows, independent garden centers are creating and presenting innovative events to pull in the regulars and entice new clients. Be prepared to join in the fun! Bring a few ideas of your favorites to add to the presentation.

Lighting, Color, Signage, Are You Doing Them Right?

Tuesday, August 8

Lighting can make or break a selling environment. Without the right lighting, you’re no doubt losing sales. Color works hand-in-hand with lighting, and can also make a big difference in how someone perceives your space. Learn how to create a space that showcases what you're all about.

Future Grass Technology

Tuesday, August 8

Jackson Madnick is an environmental scientist, educator and lawn care expert, inventor of Pearl's Premium Ultra Low Maintenance Lawn Seed, now in over 500,000 lawns and cemeteries in all soils & climates. Come learn his secret.

Succession and Exit Planning in Action: Your Exit Strategy

Wednesday, August 9

If you want the value of your business to remain intact for your successors, or achieve a higher selling price, begin the planning process sooner rather than later.

The Art & Science of Pricing Products

Wednesday, August 9

There is more to pricing than simply calculating costs and mark-up. Bridget will discuss some pricing strategies and share some research-based findings on how consumers react to pricing in communications.

"Undercover Boss": Clues to Create a Team of Superheroes!

Wednesday, August 9

If you were to become a frontline employee for a while in your business, what do you think you might find that could be changed or improved?

Keeping New Clients Acquired During the Pandemic

Wednesday, August 9

Many retail and service businesses had an increase in sales due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. With inflation and recession looming, how can companies retain their new and existing customers to maintain or expand sales. Repeat purchasing depends on some key parameters. Bridget shares information on how to build customer loyalty through tougher times.

9 Critical Points of Contact that Impact Customer Loyalty

Wednesday, August 9

Clients can leave you with one mistake, one blunt conversation or a slow website response and they may never tell you! What’s your business’s “touchpoint score”?

Keys to Successful Birding: Spring & Summer

Wednesday, August 9

Tips on how to attract birds, bees and butterflies to your store AND the consumers who love and want to attract them during the spring and summer months.

Value Acceleration: Command Top Dollar for Your Business

Wednesday, August 9

Whether a business leader or owner wants to prepare for succession or sell their business – or knows they could – this presentation will review the eight elements that drive the value of a company and suggestions on how to increase the value of their business dramatically.

Keys to Successful Birding: Fall & Winter

Wednesday, August 9

Join Bird Man Mel once again as he shares the best practices, merchandise (and merchandising), and marketing tips for keeping birds happy and coming back year and year during the fall and winter months.

Keynote: Stop Trying to be the Garden Center You Were 4 Years Ago

Wednesday, August 9

Summer 2023; someone in the industry says, “Business is getting back to normal”. Why would you say that? The person you had as a customer in the summer of 2019 has changed a lot since then.

Get Better at Understanding and Acting on Your Financial Reports

Wednesday, August 9

This presentation is designed for those of you in charge of finance, operations, and marketing. The process for building a budget is a critical one. Building an accurate one is more critical still. “Get a Better Understanding” is designed for people who want to learn about what some consider to be the most important function for every business other than what the company does.

Speakers

Amanda Thomsen

Andrea Hill

Anne Obarski

Bridget K. Behe

Bridget K. Behe

Chris Cimaglio

Heidi Hornung

Jackson Madnick

Jackson Madnick

Jennifer Brennan

Jennifer Brennan

Joe Baer

Kenneth Lane

Lyn Falk

Mel Toellner

Michael Fiore

Nicole Leinbach

Nicole Leinbach

Sue Markgraf

Tom Shay