The Greenhouse Industry Show and Conference 2006

There is also a man called Glen Sweetman, working with the Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina.  He is a ‘sweetman’, as his name suggests.  He let us “steal” speakers from his conference, that is, the Saskatchewan Greenhouse Growers Association Conference.  We discuss speakers, topics and real issues that are best suited to commercial growers needs.  This is not an easy job, but working with the industry, one picks up areas of strengths and weaknesses, and plan our programs accordingly.  How to attract more growers to these conferences and more companies to trade shows, is always a challenge.  Take the example of the Canadian Greenhouse Conference, which used to be held in Guelph, and has been moved to Toronto, now for the past few years.  Tremendous success with this conference.  The registration fee is only $30 and over 2000 growers participate.

At our conference, we always have to discuss what the registration cost should be and keep it affordable.  During my 28 years of experience, I have found that growers generally don’t worry about registration costs, they are looking for good speakers, they enjoy networking with other growers, and love the trade shows.

Many people ask me why I give a talk at 7:00 am.  I remember it started with the BPI-AGGA Joint Conference held in 1986 in Edmonton.  Will Carlson called it the ‘Early Bird Workshop’.  The idea was that you are fresh and ready to soak  up all the information and knowledge; it is, the birds that fly out just close to sunrise, get the best, fat and juicy worms.  The latecomers get the leftovers.  I find it so intriguing that people come to these early workshops and enjoy picking up a few hints and clues to improve their business.

When planning a conference, we always keep in mind blending business, marketing, planning and production information, and that is a challenge.  Also, we have been having difficulty attracting vegetable growers from Southern Alberta.  A few are very dedicated, and they come every year, but those who need the most information, are not able to come.  This year we have invited a wonderful consultant, Cees VandenEnden to talk about vegetables - how to make plants vegetative and generative, and what is going on in Europe.  So plan to register early and enjoy the tour and the conference and the trade show.  Check out the website at:  www.greenindustryshow.com.

This is what the program will look like:

Starting October 31, which is a Tuesday, we will have a Bus Tour.  First stop is Doef Greenhouses, and we are expecting to see new energy curtains, which have been installed, and many other new technologies,  like high wire cucumbers in vegetable production.  From there, we will go to the Central Alberta Greenhouses and look at all the poinsettias and other flowers, and also find out how their greenhouse is doing.  Last year we visited three growers, and tour participants got a little tired, so this year we will give you more time to spend in two greenhouses, and bring you back early so that you are ready for Rod McDonald’s talk.

In the evening, Rod McDonald will talk on “The Best Show on Earth” from 7:00 p.m. till 11:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 1, 2006, the conference will open around 8:00 a.m. and keynote speech will be delivered by Rod McDonald on “Competing with the Big Boys”.  After that, we will have two concurrent sessions:

• One session is called - Growing with Vision and Precision:  Matching Energy with Profitability.  Jim Hole, Joe Doef and Eric D’Argent, are confirmed.  The idea is that when we talk about energy, it is not just the heating costs we are talking about.  Good business managers pay attention to scheduling of their crops, make sure the space is used efficiently, that crops are managed in such a way that there is minimum loss of plants, new plants are introduced, customer base is expanded, better prices are negotiated, and, of course, many other things.  These business managers, will share what they have done to fight back with energy costs, to maintain their competitiveness.
• Concurrent session is on Research Updates by our wonderful scientists.  It is amazing how much work is being done for the benefit of the business.  Dr. Ron Howard, will talk about greenhouse disease management strategies, Dr. Nick Savido will share his research results on greenhouse substrates and aquaponics, Dr. Prem Kharbanda will show us the progress he has made with internal fruit rot of peppers, and finally, Dr. Mike Hardening will talk about his results on using greenhouse disinfectants.  THIS SESSION IS ELIGIBLE FOR PESTICIDE APPLICATION CREDITS.  LOOK FOR A SIGN SHEET.
• The trade show is from 12 noon until 4:00 p.m.  We have not scheduled any talks during the trade show hours, except AGGA Annual General Meeting, from 12:00 till 1:00 p.m.  Don’t forget to sign in for “subsidized” lunch for $10.00.
• There will be two concurrent sessions from 4:00 to 4:50 p.m. and 5:00 to 5:50 p.m.  Do you want to Check the Health of Your Greenhouse Business?  - Let COBRA-GREEN help you.
• Ron Lyons will take you through a computerized, interactive program to see where you stand.  His talk will be followed by Nabi Chaudhary from 5:00 to 5:50 p.m. on the impact of Utilities on Greenhouse Profitability Margins and Myths and Realities of Dutch Greenhouse Industry - Production and Marketing Chains will be the subject of a presentation by Ava Duering.
• Concurrently, Dr. Paul Thomas from U.S. will talk about Diagnosing Plant Problems A to Z and Reducing Temperature Without Compromising Crop Quality.  THIS SESSION IS ELIGIBLE FOR PESTICIDE APPLICATION CREDITS.  LOOK FOR A SIGN SHEET.
• Hold on, Evening is not done yet.  There will be an AGGA Banquet as well, which also serves as the forum for awards.  This is a great opportunity to relax and mingle with old friends and new entrants into the industry.
• Thursday, November 2, 2006 will start with an early bird talk by Mohyuddin Mirza, from 7:00 till 7:50 a.m.  The title is “How May I Direct Your Call?  For Business Profitability Tips Press 1, For Production Press 2……..”
• Rod McDonald will give a talk on “Making Money in the Land of Giants” from 8:00 till 9:50 a.m. and concurrent session will be by Dr. Ken Fry on Greenhouse Insects I.D. and Life Cycle and Much More.  He is already gathering his microscopes, so expect a hands-on type session.  DR. FRY’S SESSION IS ELIGIBLE FOR PESTICIDE APPLCIATION CREDITS.  LOOK FOR A SIGN SHEET.
• Mel Sawaya from Ontario, will talk from 10:00 till 12 noon, about “Growing Bedding Plants from Seeds to Sales - Keep the Focus on Customers”, and a second talk on “Height Control for Bedding Plants Without Chemical Inputs”.
• Concurrent will be Cees VandenEnden, talking about “Strategies for Making Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Peppers Vegetative or Generative” and “What is Going on in Europe in Vegetable Production?   400 Cucumbers/sq.m., 100 Kg of Tomatoes/sq.m.  Is that a Myth or Reality?

Other Articles From the Oct 13, 2006 Issue of Greenhouse Business