Special Events
Monday, August 16
2010 IGC Chicagoland
Garden Center Tour
7:15 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
The Chicagoland Garden Center Tour will provide attendees with a mixture of onsite merchandising and display tours at some of the area’s great independent garden centers. Attendees will visit Atrium Garden Center in Lake Zurich, Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery & Garden Center in Crystal Lake, Hawthorn Gardens in Hawthorne Woods, Pasquesi Home and Gardens in Barrington and Tom's Farm Market & Greenhouses in Huntley. Beyond the 45-minute educational stops to the retail garden centers, this tour will include an in-depth lab at Tom’s Farm Market & Greenhouses in Huntley, IL. The lab session will focus on the fastest growing trend in horticulture - food. Attendees will have a chance to visit with 10 vendors of specialty foods and food services. The workshops will focus on expanding the existing garden center offerings by including soft ice cream and smoothies, Gardner Pie Co.’s pies, donuts, specialty coffee and teas, old-fashioned candies, condiments, produce and food service equipment. The group will finish their day with a world-class visit to the Gardens at Ball. The Gardens at Ball are bigger and better than ever before. Greatly expanded comparison trials, 600-plus containers of vegetative annuals, more than 8,000 perennials and a new focus on edibles is sure to inspire plenty of fresh ideas, finished with an entertaining and interactive dinner.
Limited to 400 attendees - Sign up early - sold out in 2009!
Conducted by Garden Centers of America and The Garden Center Group
Food lab Organizer: Jeff Warschauer, Vice President of Sales, Nexus Greenhouse Systems
Sponsored by
Tuesday, August 17
Networking Luncheon
Open to Conference Attendees Only
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Join fellow IGC execs from around the country for an informal luncheon to exchange ideas, talk shop and make new contacts. It’s a great networking opportunity that puts you face-to-face with people who share many of the same challenges and opportunities you do every day.
Sponsored by:
Opening Night IGC 2010 Party
6:00pm - 6:45pm
Kick back, relax and take in the spectacular summer views of Lake Michigan from the tip of Navy Pier. Mingle with garden center owners, managers and buyers from all across the United States while you enjoy a drink and pre-concert appetizers.
Sponsored by:
IGC Classic Rock Concert Series: America
6:45pm - 8:00pm
Live in concert! America is the wildly popular English-American folk rock band that had a string of top-40 hits in the 70s and 80s like "A Horse with No Name", "Sister Golden Hair" (both of which reached #1), "Ventura Highway", "Tin Man", “Muskrat Love,” “Sandman,” and "Lonely People". America became so popular in the 70’s and 80s that famed Beatles producer George Martin signed on to produce seven of their albums which included the Top-10 hit "You Can Do Magic."
Sponsored by:
Wednesday, August 18
2010 Dick Morey Nursery Retailer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award Presentations
8:45am - 9:00am
Find out who will be recognized with the industry’s most prestigious honors during this special presentation. Each year the 2010 Dick Morey Nursery Retailer of the Year Award is presented to an IGC demonstrating leadership and innovation in the tradition of Dick Morey, the founder of Nursery Retailer and the father of Nursery Retailer Publisher and IGC Show Producer Jeff Morey. New this year is the IGC Lifetime Achievement Award which is bestowed upon just one member of the IGC community annually who’s life-long contribution to the betterment of our industry deserves special recognition.
Sponsored by:
Nursery Retailer IGC 100 Luncheon
– by invitation
12:15pm - 1:45pm
The leaders of the nation’s top independent garden centers - featured in Nursery Retailer’s proprietary IGC 100 Report, the first and only annual ranking of IGC sales - convene for this special luncheon. By invitation.
Sponsored by:
IGC Show Rooftop Margaritaville Party
6:00pm - 7:30pm
Key West
comes north for the IGC Show's Margaritaville blow-out on the sublime Navy Pier rooftop. Gentle Jimmy Buffett music by a leading tribute solo artist while you sip on boat drinks and nibble on tropical inspired fare. Pull up a beach chair and kick off the flip flops, it's time to mellow with your industry friends while taking in the stunning Chicago skyline and lake views. Cash bar. Appetizers and entertainment compliments of our sponsor.
Sponsored by:
