New England Grows! 2014 Preview

Source: www.TurfMagazine.com

Boston Mass., February 5-7

Since its inception in 1993, New England Grows has become the most well-attended green industry event in the Northeast. It is known for its world-class educational seminars and exposition that showcases the most cutting-edge products and services available.

For complete show information, go to www.newenglandgrows.org.

Education Sessions

New England Grows is an authorized provider of CEUs and professional development credits for many green industry accreditation programs and associations nationwide. Please note that schedule and session titles are subject to change.

Wednesday, February 5

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Registration Open

8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Garden Center Success! at New England Grows – “Garden Center 3.0” featuring Keynote Speakers: Alison Kenney Paul, vice chairman and U.S. retail & distribution leader at Deloitte, LLP, Chicago, Ill.; and Anna Ball, CEO, Ball Horticultural Co., Inc., West Chicago, Ill.

9 – 10 a.m.

• Accurately Predict & Diagnose Turf Problems, Pamela Sherratt, turfgrass specialist, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio (CEU: NE NJ NOFA PA)
• Naturalistic Water Feature Design, Rich Bartel, certified master water feature specialist, executive director, Ponds for Peace, East Ridge, Tenn. (CEU: LA LD NOFA)
• The Power of Plants: Eden Project & Beyond, Jane Knight, MPhil MLA CMLI, landscape architect, Eden Project, Cornwall, U.K. (CEU: ISA LA LD NOFA)
• Tree Preservation and Risk Assessment: How They Work Together, Philip van Wassenaer, principal consulting arborist, Urban Forest Innovations, Ontario, Canada (CEU: CTSP ISA NOFA)

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Exposition Open

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

• What a Warming World Means for Pest Outbreaks, Michael Raupp, Ph.D., professor, University of Maryland, College Park, Md. (CEU: ISA NE NJ NOFA PA)

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

• New England Landscape Dynamics: A Long View, William Cullina, executive director, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine (CEU: ISA LA LD NOFA)

2 – 3 p.m.

• How Landscapes Can Help Save the Bees, Kelly Gill, pollinator conservation specialist, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Columbus, N.J. (CEU: ISA LA LD NE NJ NOFA PA)
• Replacing the Green Desert: Meadowscaping & Native Plant Alternatives, Kim Eierman, founder, EcoBeneficial!, Bronxville, N.Y. (CEU: LA LD NOFA)
• Great Conifers for New England, Deanna Curtis, curator of Woody Plants, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, N.Y. (CEU: ISA NOFA)
• Systems for Success: Achieve Efficiency and Profitability in your Nursery & Landscape Business, John Hughes, owner, Hughes Nursery & Landscaping, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

5 p.m. Exposition Closes

Thursday, February 6

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Registration Open

8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Exposition Open

9 – 10 a.m.

• Successfully Managing Rose Downy Mildew & Other Rose Diseases, Mark Windham, Ph.D., professor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn. (CEU: NE NJ PA)
• Back to the Future: The Garden at Hidcote, Glyn Jones, garden & countryside manager, Hidcote Manor Garden, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, U.K. (CEU: LA LD)
• View from the Top: Understanding Forests Around the World from a Canopy Perspective, Nalini Nadkarni, Ph.D., professor of biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (CEU: ISA NOFA)
• E-newsletters that Work, Michael Katz, founder, Blue Penguin Development, Inc., Hopkinton, Mass. (CEU: NOFA)

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

• What’s Ahead in Insect Pest Management, Richard Casagrande, Ph.D., professor of entomology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, R.I. (CEU: ISA NE NJ NOFA PA)

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

• Aesthetic Edibles: Mixing Beauty with Utility, Christina Salwitz, owner, The Personal Garden Coach, Renton, Wash. (CEU: LA LD NOFA)

2 – 3 p.m.

• Beneficials & Pesticides: Working Together, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, Buglady Consulting, Slatington, Pa. (CEU: ISA NE NJ PA)
• Simple Rules for Pruning Fruit Trees, Wes Autio, professor and director of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass. (CEU: ISA NOFA)
• 30 Years of New Plant Introductions: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff, Dale Hendricks, owner, Green Light Plants, LLC, Landenberg, Pa. (CEU: LA LD NOFA)
• Living Soil: A Way Forward, Elaine Ingham, Ph.D., chief scientist, Rodale Institute, Kutztown, Pa. (CEU: ISA NOFA)

5 p.m. Exposition Closes

Friday, February 7

7 a.m. – 3 p.m. Registration Open

8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Exposition Open

9 – 10 a.m.

• Woody Plant Diseases: What’s Next, Gary Moorman, professor of plant Ppathology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa. (CEU: ISA NE NJ NOFA PA)
• Celebrating the Layered Garden, David Culp, sales & new plant research, Sunny Border Nurseries, Downingtown, Pa. (CEU: LA LD NOFA)
• Taking Guesswork Out of Running a Successful Landscape Company, Mark Bradley, president, TBG Landscape, Landscape Management Network, Brooklin, Ont., Canada (CEU: NOFA)

• The Role of Deer & Invasive Species in Shaping Forest Ecosystems, Bernd Blossey, Ph.D., associate professor, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. (CEU: ISA NE NJ NOFA PA)

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

• Plant Health Care: The Latest Disease Management Strategies, Sharon Douglas, Ph.D., plant pathologist, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Conn. (CEU: ISA NE NJ NOFA PA)

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

• Gardens of the Jazz Age, Jenny Rose Carey, director, Ambler Arboretum, Temple University, Ambler, Pa. (CEU: LA LD NOFA)

2 – 3 p.m.

• Ecological Pest Management in Turf, Mary Owen, extension turf specialist & turf program coordinator, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass. (CEU: NE NJ NOFA PA)
• Permaculture 101: Creating Landscapes Full of Food & Beauty, Ethan Roland Solaviev, MS, principal, lead designer, Appleseed Permaculture, Stone Ridge, N.Y. (CEU: ISA LA LD NOFA)
• Embrace the Vertical: Creating Greenwalls, McRae Anderson, principal designer and president, McCaren Designs, Inc., St. Paul, Minn. (CEU: LA LD NOFA)
• “Treetilization”: A Shared Benefits Approach to Preventing Tree & Power Line Conflicts, Will Porter, director of consulting, CN Utility Consulting, Sebastopol, Calif. (CEU: CTSP ISA)

3 p.m. Conference & Exposition Closes

Learning Opportunities

Educational Pods

Watch for association-sponsored educational opportunities throughout the conference and on the tradeshow floor. Check out the ICPI certification and paver display; take the pollinator protection pledge and help increase awareness; test-drive the latest mobile apps recommended by your colleagues; or try your hand at tying arborists knots for climbing and rigging.

Sprint Sessions

Pick up tons of trends, tips and techniques right on the tradeshow floor. Popular Sprint Sessions presented by extension experts and solution-based learning from top suppliers will be offered in 15-minute, rapid-fire updates presented on the new and exciting Common Ground stage.

Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI)

• Concrete Paver Installer Course & Exam: Separate registration required. You must be registered for New England Grows to participate.

Two-day course: Feb. 4 -5 (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Sponsored by Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals, with support from Techo-Block

Earn credentials that help differentiate you from the competition and learn ways to improve installation efficiency, resulting in greater profits. Landscape contractors involved in the residential and commercial installation of interlocking concrete pavements with a year or more experience should attend this course. Content includes job planning and layout, soil characteristics, compaction, base materials, edge restraints, bedding and joint sands, installation and maintenance of concrete pavers and estimating.

Registration fees range from $350-$280 per person and include two days of classroom training, student manual and examination. Participants who attend the full course and earn a passing grade on the exam receive an ICPI Certificate of Completion.

To register go to www.icpi.org/boston or call 703-657-6900.

Arborists Knots for Climbing & Rigging

• Three-Day Interactive Display on the Tradeshow Floor, Sponsored by the Massachusetts Arborists Association

A well-executed knot is the key to safe and successful climbing and rigging for the professional arborist. Stop by and check out the ISA’s new video featuring ArborMaster trainers and International Tree Climbing Champions Ken Palmer, Rip Tompkins and Sean Gere who explain and demonstrate the knots commonly used in climbing and rigging. Then try your hand at tying knots with help from our professional arborist volunteers.

Tech Hub/App Bar

• Three-Day Interactive Display on the Tradeshow Floor, Sponsored by the Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association

Confused by the thousands of apps and websites that claim they will help you get business done? Curious about which ones actually work for the green industry? Well here’s your chance to check out the apps recommended the most by your industry colleagues. You’ll walk away with a list of useful mobile tools and resources to put to work right away.

Pollinator Protection: Building Awareness

• Three-Day Interactive Display on the Tradeshow Floor, Sponsored by the New England Nursery Association

A global debate is raging about what is happening to our pollinators. Many factors and variables are contributing to bee die-off around the world and it is incumbent upon all of us, as green industry professionals, to educate ourselves on this critical topic. Stop by and check out a plethora of resources available to help build your knowledge base and educate your customers. Talk to experts, as well as everyday people, who are making a real difference and sign the pledge to do the same!

Opportunities

Dining with the Speakers: An Inspired Gathering

• Thursday, 6 – 8 p.m. at Morton’s Steakhouse – Seaport

Ever wish you could spend quality time with some of the outstanding speakers that present at New England Grows every year? Now’s your chance! Join a select group of speakers and colleagues for a special evening of good food and great conversation. This is sure to be a sold out dinner party, so sign up early to reserve your spot at this very exclusive event.

Choose one of the following speakers with whom you wish to dine: Mark Bradley, landscape industry business consultant; Dale Hendricks, new plant guru; Jane Knight, Eden Project’s landscape architect & change agent; Glyn Jones, horticultural historian & preservationist; and Nadlini Nadkarni, queen of the forest canopy.

Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to 10 guests per table. To check availability, contact Anne Franks at 508-653-3009 or afranks@newenglandgrows.org. Confirmation will be made by email following the receipt of payment and the completed form (available on the NE Grows website). Once confirmed, reservations may not be cancelled or refunded. Please submit a separate reservation form for each guest.

NiceMeetings

New England Grows’ educational sessions are so popular you can sit in on a seminar with 1,000-plus of your industry colleagues. We’re test driving new technology in select educational seminars that will enhance your learning experience. “NiceMeetings” brings the speaker’s presentation right into the palm of your hand via your mobile device. Look for the “NiceMeetings” icon to find out which seminars are offering this cutting-edge technology.

What’s New & Entertainment

Common Ground Stage

This year’s expo will be hopping with educational and entertaining activities on the new Common Ground Stage. From ergonomics to entomology, from soils to Rhythm Room … there’s always something happening on the Common Ground stage!

• The Rhythm Room LIVE!, Wednesday, Feb. 5 at Common Ground Stage

The Rhythm Room is a totally original band that delivers a unique show of high-energy music wrapped in world rhythms. Percussion and dynamic vocals combine with traditional and non-traditional instruments to create a rich, full-flavored sound and a visually stimulating experience for everyone. We’ll kick off Grows 2014 in style and get you charged up for an evening of “Grows After Dark” socializing.

Idea Swap

In the famous words of business guru Bill Taylor, “Nobody is as smart as everybody.” Take advantage of collective wisdom when you join colleagues for a quick idea swap on the Common during lunch. Make new connections, introduce ideas to your professional community, and come collaborate in a whole new way.

Recharging Station

New England Grows is a big and busy event. Take a break from the hustle and bustle at one of the new Recharging Stations on the Common. Rest, relax and recharge your mind, body and mobile device at this refreshing new venue.

Table Tennis Courts

Game on! Table tennis is all the rage right now and New England Grows’ new courts are sure to be a hit. You can’t be all business, all the time, so take a quick break and play a round, or two, of table tennis before you head back out onto the tradeshow floor.

Brew Garden

Connect with your peers as you kick back and enjoy your favorite beverage – hot or cold – at the New England Grows Brew Garden located on the Common in the center of the tradeshow floor.