(Columbus, July 11, 2018) — AmericanHort’s Cultivate ‘18, ranked #108 of Trade Show News Network’s Top 250 U.S trade shows by net square feet, will attract more than 10,000 industry professionals from 30 countries to the SMG-managed Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) from July 14-17.
“We were the first event to utilize all of the newly expanded and renovated convention center last year. We look forward to returning to share new products and plant varieties, more than 150 educational sessions and a variety of networking opportunities during the horticulture industry’s premier event,” said Ken Fisher, AmericanHort president and chief executive officer.
New this year are a networking reception, tours of The Ohio State University Cultivar Trials and Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and a variety of workshops.
Cultivate ‘18 will feature more than 650 exhibitors from 18 countries, including 135 international vendors. The educational sessions, tours and workshops will focus on interior plantscape, garden retail, greenhouse, landscape & nursery and business operations aspects of the industry.
A full day of educational sessions, workshops and tours will be offered on July 14 before the trade show opens the next day.
Experience Columbus has calculated the estimated economic impact of the event to be $7.3 million, according to Terri Brown, marketing & member engagement director for AmericanHort.
The keynote speaker will be Scott Greenberg, a former owner of Edible Arrangements franchises, sharing insights on leadership and cultivating a peak-performance mindset in his talk on July 15 at 8 a.m. titled “Elevating Performance for Leaders and Their Teams.”
An address about the industry’s research, advocacy and sustainability efforts will be presented by Charlie Hall, AmericanHort’s chief economist, at 8 a.m. July 16.
Trade show hours are:
Additionally, Cultivate will feature:
“We are proud to welcome the return of North America’s largest all-horticulture industry show and share our newly branded Smartfarm — the only indoor vertical hydroponic garden within a convention center — which produces 2.5 tons of vegetables and herbs annually for culinary use and charitable donation,” said GCCC General Manager John R. Page.
AmericanHort is the leading association representing the interests of the green industry, which contributes about $196 billion to the nation’s economy and employs more than 1.6 million residents. To learn more, visit www.americanhort.org and www.americanhort.org/cultivate.