Susan Markgraf - chief adventurer at GreenMark Media - has worked for and represented horticulture and agriculture brands for the majority of her career, both as a working journalist and marketing communications strategist. Join her as she moderates a panel that will review the decade of the 2020s (so far) and what unique marketing challenges it has brought. If you're thinking traditional ways of marketing are still effective - you'd better stop that thinking now and get smart about what's here and what's emerging.

Creative innovation is driving the way IGCs successfully marketed themselves through the first three years of the decade. What we did in 2020, 2021 and in 2022 will continue to evolve, build and thrive. Everyone knows that traditional marketing is dead and has given way to a big rise in content creation and strategic storytelling. Becoming the creator-influencer at your IGC is an essential component of your communications marketing strategy. (Yep, whether you like it or not: you'd better get on TikTok - it's growing by leaps and bounds as a superior targeted marcomm venue and was No. 1 on downloads in 2021.)

It's also time to prepare for the Metaverse - it's coming and it will impact U.S. independent garden center brands.

Hearing from  other IGC professionals, they'll share what lessons we want to take with us into 2023 and which ones we want to leave in the rearview mirror.

Susan's expert panelists include Benjamin Futa, community garden authority and advocate and owner of Botany; Lawson Thalmann, ECommerce & Technology Manager at Chalet; and Amanda Thomsen, author of the blog Kiss My Aster and columnist for Green Profit Magazine.