February 1, 2010 – 4:15 am
If you’re planning to attend New England Grows, the popular Boston horticultural trade show, this week, let me know. I’ll be there on Thursday, Feb. 4 only. I’d love to meet you for a cup of coffee!
November 30, 2009 – 4:15 am
If you’ve been thinking about signing up for the Mailorder Gardening Association conference coming up in Baltimore Jan. 4 – 6, you can save yourself a few bucks by doing so this week. The early bird deadline for discounted registrations runs through December 4.
As Program Chair this year, I can tell you that in my own completely unbiased opinion, we have a great program lined up. Two programs that I’ve written about before are return speakers back by popular demand – garden industry consultant Kip Creel and email marketing guru Sundeep Kapur.
In addition: (Click on the headline for more…)
November 9, 2009 – 4:15 am
If you’ve been thinking about attending a Mailorder Gardening Association conference, the January 2010 programs looks like an especially good one to check out. Of particular interest are two speakers back by popular demand. (Click on the headline for more…)
November 2, 2009 – 4:15 am
In my last blog post, I emphasized the importance of following best practices in all your customer touchpoints if you want to maximize your sales without increasing your marketing budget. As I mentioned, the Secret Shopper Survey sponsored by the Mailorder Gardening Association earlier this year uncovered an astonishing number of opportunities for improvement in this regard. A new program at the next MGA conference is sure to provide even more ideas for low-cost improvements. (Click on the headline for more…)
September 25, 2009 – 4:15 am
Attendance at last month’s Independent Garden Center show jumped a full 36% over the previous year — to 6,043 registered attendees from 49 states and 24 countries. Considering that the majority of the exhibitors were selling ornamentals, hard goods and outdoor living products – not vegetable gardening products that boomed this past year – that [...]
The Independent Garden Center Show (Chicago, Aug. 18 – Aug. 20) is less than two weeks away. Thanks to the overwhelming popularity of this new show, it’s been expanded to include more than 900 vendors of unusual, high-quality products for the independent gardening merchant.
I’ll be there on Tuesday, August 18 and Wednesday, August 19. Please let me know if you plan to attend. I’d love to meet!
In my last post, I mentioned some of the ways Terrain at Styer’s, the Philadelphia nursery owned by Urban Outfitters, is expanding their market. One of the key elements in their program is events, including those that reach far beyond the traditional gardening how-to offerings. Their July calendar includes the following: (Click on the headline for more…)
If you’ve been thinking about going to the Summer Mailorder Gardening Association conference in Minneapolis (July 15 – 17), pick up the phone and make your reservations now. Our block of rooms is reserved through today and because the hotel is filled with other conferences, any unsold rooms are likely to be snapped up quickly.
It promises to be an outstanding program. Among the speakers are: (Click on the headline for more…)
The National Hardware Show in Las Vegas is just a few weeks away, and I’m dusting off my walking shoes. With over 900 exhibitors in the Lawn, Garden and Outdoor Living category alone, it’s not a place for the faint-of-foot. I’ll be attending Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday, May 6. If you’d like to meet, please let me know. I’d love to sit down (!) and chat over a cup of coffee.
February 6, 2009 – 4:15 am
I just signed up for the Spring conference of the New England Mail Order Association (more commonly known as NEMOA), and I’m hoping to see you there. Attendees include a diverse group of direct marketers, including… (Click on the headline for more.)