ONLA Names Amy Eldridge as CENTS Manager

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WESTERVILLE, Ohio-The Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association is pleased to announce its recent hire of Amy Eldridge, who joins the ONLA team as CENTS manager. In this role, Eldridge will develop and manage strategies to provide top-flight exhibitor and attendee experiences at the Midwest’s premier nursery, landscape and garden center convention.

CENTS Marketplace is scheduled for Jan. 13-15, 2014, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. CENTS is offered annually to green industry professionals to provide business knowledge about sales, operations and profitability along with continuing education through the esteemed The Ohio State University Nursery Short Course. The convention draws exhibitors and attendees including: Growers, Independent Garden Centers, Landscape Contractors, Arborists, Turf and Pest Management professionals.

"I am excited to serve ONLA members and industry partners. Their professional success is my top priority," Eldridge said. "Creating the best experience possible for every CENTS exhibitor and attendee is my goal. I want everyone affiliated with CENTS to emerge motivated, energized, and inspired."

Eldridge comes to ONLA with more than a decade’s experience in the convention and expo field. Most recently, Eldridge worked as event director for the Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children. There, she led exhibitor and attendee engagement initiatives, including sales and marketing, education, and event planning. This experience has made Eldridge’s early days with ONLA smooth.

"Martin Luther King once said, ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?’ I intend to apply this credo, along with my background in association service and my experience in managing large conventions to CENTS and open new business doors for exhibitors, help industry professionals network and learn, and redefine the CENTS experience."

Eldridge will manage all aspects of CENTS, from sales of exhibit space to the development of exhibitor education materials, from efficient move-in and move-out to on-the-show-floor learning experiences. Eldridge will ensure that CENTS, the oldest, largest and most respected nursery, landscape and garden center trade show in the Midwest, continues to provide customized experiences to motivate green industry professionals, improve industry performance and sales, and create collaborative learning and networking opportunities.

An industry show for industry people, CENTS provides tools and resources on mission-critical business and green industry issues, trends and opportunities. From lead generation and operations information to preseason buying incentives and Short Course educational programs, CENTS creates a high-energy forum where attendees can buy, sell, learn and meet. CENTS goes beyond the green side of the business to the business side of the business, to help the industry survive and prosper. For more information, call (800) 825-5062.