September 15, 2014
Stay up to date with new and emerging trends in the retail industry this October at Landscape Ontario’s 15th anniversary edition of Garden & Floral Expo.  The trade show and conference will run Oct. 22 and 23 at the Toronto Congress Centre in the North Building.  

Expo is an ideal place for face-to-face conservation; people from all sectors of the industry come together to network, share expertise, establish new business contacts, and then browse and buy the products that will be featured in garden centres across Canada next spring.

“The spotlight for the 15th anniversary edition of the show is brightly focused on the plants, flowers, exquisitely designed displays and educational opportunities that will inspire your retail marketing and help you create a better shopping experience for your customers,” says Heather MacRae, Director of Events and Trade Shows for Landscape Ontario. “Expo is renowned for its stunning trade show displays, Euro-style lighting, and merchandising ideas you can recreate in your own store or garden centre. It is the place to discover new ideas, tools, products, services and connections that will help your business grow.”

For more than 40 years, Landscape Ontario has been a horticultural leader, with event programs designed to meet the personal and professional needs of green industry retailers. Key to your engagement at the show will be the workshops offered on the main stage — our Inspiration Theatre — over the two days. These dynamic networking and professional development opportunities will help you enhance your sales and marketing skills, better understand the latest retail trends and implement what you learn in your own professional setting.

Workshops at this year’s Expo program include Winter Florals That WOW, Top 10 Tips to Be a Better Retailer, Stop Stressing over Seasonal Staff and Stand by Your Brand: How to Market Everything Including Your Brand.

Additional highlights include lunch event for retailers, Drive Seasonal Sales: Winning Strategies for Garden and Floral Retailing, and a lunch event for interior plantscapers, designers and contractors — Holidayscaping: The Revenue Stream you Need to Know about.

Along with many brand-name vendors, who have served the industry since the show’s inception 15 years ago, a number of vendors will be showcasing their products for the first time with hundreds of new and green products to excite customers for the 2015 spring season.

This year’s Expo will see the launch of Inspired – Design Day, featuring accredited floral designers demonstrating innovative designs to make businesses blossom and a competition for the inspired designer title.

Of course the annual Landscape Ontario’s Awards of Excellence ceremony for garden centres and growers is always a popular event at Expo. The ever-popular New Products Showcasewill return, featuring new and emerging products, plants and technologies.

The garden writers group will return to Garden & Floral Expo on a trend-spotting mission for the annual connect event. The meeting concludes with a visit to the New Products Showcase and the trade show floor vendors.

Early-bird pricing is on until Oct. 3; register today to ensure you have the hottest fall event ticket in town! Go to loexpo.ca for all the details.