Turf Magazine - August, 2008

SOUTH FEATURES

2008 Nursery / Landscape Expo

August 14-17, Houston, Texas

Nursery/Landscape Expo offers opportunities to learn about industry trends, hear about industry practices from your peers and from industry experts, experience the breadth and depth of the green industry under one roof, laugh with old friends and meet new ones, find the best deals from the best dealers in the Southwest, plan your next year with the right people at the right place.

Come join us at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas for this award-winning trade show!

For more information, visit www.nurserylandscapeexpo.org.

Expo is Bigger and Better

Nursery/Landscape Expo has been hard at work to create a bigger and better show than ever before. We’ve listened to your ideas and have been making the changes we’ve heard from our new and long-time exhibitors. This is what you can expect for Expo 2008:

• The Education Lounge is back with seven speakers and seven opportunities for your company to sponsor each event. This is one of our most popular events with many attendees making this a “must stop” in their schedule. Meet and listen to some of our industry’s top authors at the Author Signings and Book Discussions held in the Bookstore. Not only will you be able to buy the author’s book, but you can participate in a roundtable discussion with our top industry professionals.
• Get the opportunity to Laugh & Network with a Welcome Reception “TNLA goes ... to the Moon!” and an Exhibitor Appreciation Breakfast.
• Engage your knowledge and learning opportunities Friday and Saturday for our free seminars: Grower Education and Spanish Education.
• Check out our new Learn at Lunch events happening Friday and Saturday, which will be located off the show floor and will have two keynote speakers along with a great, hot lunch. Tickets will be sold in advance. Visit www.nurserylandscapeexpo.org for more information.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, August 14

7 a.m. - 12 p.m. Education Conference—On-site registration—George R. Brown Convention Center

8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Education Conference—George R. Brown Convention Center

Advance Registration: $155/member, $195/nonmember (fee includes Expo badge)

Topics include Running Your Business, Plant Material, Outdoor Living, Leaning Green, Pest Management and Irrigation Best Practices

4:30 - 8:30 p.m. Outdoor Product Showcase—Houston Area

Barbecue Dinner with RSVP—Free Admission with Badge

Friday, August 15

7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Nursery/Landscape Expo Registration Hours—George R. Brown Convention Center

8 - 9:30 a.m. Growing, Train-the-Trainer and Hispanic Employee Education—George R. Brown Convention Center

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Nursery/Landscape Expo Exhibit Hours—George R. Brown Convention Center

12 - 1:30 p.m. Learn at Lunch—George R. Brown Convention Center

6 - 7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception—TNLA Goes ... to the Moon!—Hilton Americas-Houston 

Opening night reception. Free Admission—Badge required.

6:30 - 8 p.m. Certification Reception—Hilton Americas-Houston

Reception honoring all active TCNPs, TMCNPs, TCLPs and CLTs. Invitation only!

Saturday, August 16

7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Nursery/Landscape Expo Registration Hours—George R. Brown Convention Center

8 - 9:30 a.m. Growing and Hispanic Employee Education—George R. Brown Convention Center

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Nursery/Landscape Expo Exhibit Hours—George R. Brown Convention Center

12 - 1:30 p.m. Learn at Lunch—George R. Brown Convention Center

Sunday, August 17

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Nursery/Landscape Expo Registration and Exhibit Hours—George R. Brown Convention Center

Education Conference

Thursday, August 14, George R. Brown Convention Center

8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Irrigator CEU

• Track I: Smart Technologies for Irrigation Management
• Track II: Prediction and Estimating Land Water Use and Understanding Pumps

8:30 - 9:15 Ideas for Action-Networking Breakfast
(Continental Breakfast Included in Registration)

9:15 - 10 a.m. Sanity Sustained: Balancing Work and Family Life
Dr. Susan Fletcher, Smart Zone Solutions

10 - 10:15 a.m. Break

10:15 - 11:15 a.m. Conferences

• Running Your Business: Working in the Smart Zone
  Dr. Susan Fletcher, Smart Zone Solutions
  
• Plant Material: New Plants
  Heidi Sheesley, TreeSearch Farms
  
• Outdoor Living: Outdoor Living Trends: What’s Hot and What’s Not for 2009
  Susan McCoy, Garden Media Group
  
• Leaning Green: Green Terminology
  Astrid Volder, Texas AgriLife Research
  
• Pest Management: Stomping Fire Ants
  Paul Nester, Texas AgriLife Extension

11:15 - 11:30 a.m. Break

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Conferences

Running Your Business: Slow Down or Ramp Up?
Charlie Hall, Texas A&M University

Plant Material: Texas Superstars
Jerry Parsons, Texas AgriLife Extension

Outdoor Living: Outdoor Kitchens
Scott Campbell, Milestone Distributors

Leaning Green: Death by Hardscape
Johnette Taylor, Roundtree Landscaping

Pest Management: Top 10 Uninvited Pests
Bart Drees, Texas AgriLife Extension

12 - 1 p.m. Lunch Break

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Work Smart, Have Fun and Make Money
Phil Sorentino, Humor Consultants

1 - 5 p.m. Irrigator CEU

• Track I: Smart Technologies for Irrigation Management
• Track II: Predicting and Estimating Land Water Use and Understanding Pumps

1:45 - 2:45 p.m. Conferences

Running Your Business: Focusing Your Business Strategy in Tough Times
Charlie Hall, Texas A&M University

Plant Material: Myths and Mysteries of Drought-Tolerant Plants
Dennis Swartzell, Mountain States Wholesale Nursery

Outdoor Living: Creating Outdoor Rooms
Devin Christison, GLS Enterprise of Texas

Leaning Green: Going Green with Earthkind
Don Wilkerson, Texas AgriLife Extension

Pest Management: Growing Healthy Trees in Texas Landscapes
Dave Appel, Texas AgriLife Extension

2:45 - 3 p.m. Break

3 - 4 p.m. Conferences

Running Your Business: Managing Change
Phil Sorentino, Humor Consultants

Plant Material: Wonderful World of Ornamental Grasses
Dave Dagen, Emerald Coast Growers

Outdoor Living: Shedding Light on Your Landscape Creations
Gerry De La Vega, TerraDek Lighting

Leaning Green: Keeping It Green: Top 10 Landscape Mistakes
Doug Welsh, Texas AgriLife Extension

Pest Management: Turf Troubles
Jim McAfee, Texas AgriLife Extension

4 - 5 p.m. Update on Laws and Regs
Jim Quintanilla, Texas Dept. of Agriculture

Outdoor Product Showcase

Rain or shine, the Nursery/Landscape Expo will have hands on demonstrations of the newest outdoor products. Shuttle bus transportation provided.

Industry professionals attending the Outdoor Product Showcase will receive a complimentary barbecue dinner. All you need is your Expo badge (you’ll have it if you preregister for Expo), or you can sign in onsite at the showcase.

Here are just some of the products you will see at the Outdoor Product Showcase:

Mowers of all sizes, hydroseeding units, tractors, trucks, skid steer loaders, utility vehicles, irrigation equipment, tree spades, bark/leaf blowers, trimmers, chain saws, trenchers, track loaders, brush cutters, functional outdoor living products and much more.