Wilsonville, Oregon – At Farwest 2017, August 23-25 in Portland, OR, retail leaders, Leslie Halleck and Gary Lewis, will deliver four seminars on various subjects with relevance for independent garden center owners and employees. Talks will cover topics of customer demography, digital marketing, marketing strategy, and new plants.
In her first seminar, Halleck, founder of Halleck Horticultural, LLC, presents ‘Making the Match: Which Customers Do You Really Want?’ on Wednesday, August 23, 9:45-10:45a, in Room B115-116. She will elaborate on various types of customers and pitfalls and tips in targeting, recruiting, and keeping the right customers. Her second talk, ‘Are You Digitally Relevant’, takes place Thursday, August 24,1:30-2:30p, in Room B113-114. This address looks at current online technology, apps, and other digital distribution channels that retailers can us to be “face-to-face” with customers to capture market share.
Halleck is a Certifi ed Professional Horticulturist (ASHS) with 25 years of green industry experience. She currently runs Halleck Horticultural, LLC, providing horticultural consulting, business and marketing strategy, product development and branding, and content creation for green industry companies.
Lewis, Owner, Phoenix Perennials and Specialty Plants Ltd., in British Columbia, will present a talk, ‘Groupon or Coupon?: Using Conventional and Modern Marketing Strategies to Build and Maintain Your Customer Base’, on Wednesday, August 23, 8:30-9:30a in Room B115-116. He will share his experiences using conventional marketing such as print, radio, and events versus modern marketing such as a digital, social media and social commerce. Lewis will offer strategies to leverage their full potential while avoiding their pitfalls. His second seminar, ‘Hot New Plants: Cutting Edge Garden Plants for Cutting Edge Retail/Wholesale/Design’, is scheduled for Thursday, August 24, 9:45-10:45a, Room B110-112. As a retail grower, Lewis comments on new introductions from both retail and production viewpoints. He will share the inside track on cutting edge garden plants, new introductions, and future plant breeding, discussing the role of new plants in the product mix.
Lewis holds a Masters of Science degree in Plant Ecology from the University of British Columbia, with focus on the botany and ecology of wild plants. Owner of Phoenix Perennials since 2004, he has greatly expanded the nursery to include one of the largest and most exciting selections of perennials in Canada. He is currently writing The Timber Press Encyclopedia of Groundcovers. In 2013, Lewis was selected as Communicator of the Year by the BC Landscape and Nursery Association.
For complete information on all Education Seminars (registration required), free Mini-Sessions, and general information on Farwest 2017, visit www.FarwestShow.com.
The Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN), based in Wilsonville, represents more than 800 wholesale growers, retailers, landscapers and suppliers. Oregon’s ornamental horticulture industry is one of the state’s largest agricultural commodities, with annual sales of $830 million. Oregon’s nursery industry is a traded sector; nearly 80 percent of the nursery plants grown in Oregon are shipped out of state. For information, visit www.oan.org or call 503-682-5089.
The Farwest Show, the largest green industry show in the West, is produced by the OAN, a trade organization that represents and serves the interests of the ornamental horticulture industry. Any revenue realized by the OAN is reinvested into the industry through education, research, marketing support and government relations. For more information about the 2017 Farwest Show, visit www.FarwestShow.com or call 503-682-5089.
Source: The Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN)