If attendees thought the bar was set high from last year’s CGC, this year’s Canadian Greenhouse Conference topped it.
Held in Niagara Falls from October 3rd to 4th, the conference and tradeshow booked 236 exhibitors and attracted a total of 3378 attendees – 50 per cent higher attendance than 2014.
Along with the evolving industry, many topics had been added to the speaker programme, including berry production, vertical farming, cannabis, as well as artificial intelligence. Five concurrent speaker sessions were held each day, as well as eight 10-minute presentations from researchers at the University of Guelph and Vineland Research & Innovation Centre. Many attendees echoed the same sentiment – choosing just one session among so many concurrent ones proved to be a challenge. But for conference organizers, that’s a good problem to have.
For a run-down of the speaker program, click here for a summary from CGC marketing and events coordinator Glenna Cairnie.
For a change of pace, The Gathering was held at the Hard Rock Café in Niagara Falls this year. Attendees were treated to dinner, drinks, great company and musings from a Joan Rivers impersonator.
The pre-conference CGC Bus tour was once again sold out. Sponsored by Enbridge and LumiGrow and led by OMAFRA experts Shalin Khosla and Dr. Chevonne Carlow, the tour stopped by Rosa Flora, Waldan Gardens, Cosmic Plants, Singh Greenhouses and Greenbelt Microgreens. Stay tuned for a full report of the day.
There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes at an event of this calibre. Industry consultant and former University of Guelph faculty Dr. Theo Blom was recognized for his contributions over the years as part of the CGC organizing committee. Allan van Staalduinen of Ball Hort was presented with a token of appreciation for chairing the CGC board of directors this past year.
Basket prizes and two iPad draws were held, courtesy of Fafard. (See photos below for winners.)
The conference also recognized exhibitors who went the extra mile with their booths and displays. The best booth awards went to:
• Agrolux (Technology, 101-299 sq. ft.)
• C. Frensch Ltd. (Technology, under 100 sq. ft.)
• Dümmen Orange (Plant material, 300+ sq. ft.)
• Express seed (Plant material, under 100 sq. ft.)
• Paul Boers/Prins (Technology, 300+ sq. ft.)
• Stokes Seeds (Plant material, 101-300 sq. ft.)
As CGC executive coordinator Carol Pupo notes in this year’s show guide, “the 2019 planning begins the day after the 2018 show”. Mark your calendars for CGC’s 40th anniversary conference, from October 9 to 10 in Niagara Falls.
Would you like a copy of a photo? Email us at greenhouse@annexweb.com
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