I hope the spookiest holiday of the year finds you well. Have you decorated for the holidays? If you’re curious about what others are doing (at least, those in a Chicago suburb), check out Chris Beytes’ River Ridge Report HERE. Spoiler alert: It’s good news, fall flower spending is up!

As the weather gets colder, I bet you’d love to spend some time inside, learning and catching up with industry friends. Luckily, there are some great events coming up that you won’t want to miss. 

This show is billed as the world’s largest tree care show and conference, and if you work in tree care, you’ll want to be there. TCI Expo provides you with the year’s best opportunity to browse and purchase top-notch tree care equipment, products and services at great show-only prices. You’ll get to meet with hundreds of vendors, including Stihl, Vermeer, Bandt, Altec, Versalift and Morbark. With so many exhibitors, you’ll want to start planning your show schedule now.

You’ll also have the opportunity to see some great speakers, covering topics relevant to you as a tree care professional. Some of these include:

Transitioning From the Field to the Office—Melissa Levangie, CTSP, Shelter Tree, Inc.

Many arborists are faced with the decision to transition from fieldwork to a different path in arboriculture. What you may perceive to be stumbling blocks, including communication, meetings and delegating tasks, can easily be overcome. Explore how to continue working in tree care happily and profitably as you view the tree from a different angle.

Women in Tree Care Forum—Moderated by Amy Tetreault, TCIA

Being a woman working in a male-dominated industry can present challenges. Guest speakers with diverse backgrounds will discuss specific topics, such as running a woman-owned business, developing a growing career and more. All attendees are welcome to attend to network and engage in conversations about their experiences in this industry.

Dirty Rotten Decay Fungi—Dr. Chris Luley, Urban Forest Diagnostics, LLC

Come see urban trees’ worst of the worst – the 12 worst decay fungi affecting conifers and deciduous trees in the urban environment. Not for the faint-hearted, attendees will learn these rotters’ impact and how to identify them.

And, if you have some spare time, you might want to head on over to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. While I prefer drag racing myself (hey, I’m from Indiana), it looks like the NASCAR Hall of Fame offers some really cool stuff. You can see historic cars and check out the Hall of Honor, which features the Hall of Fame inductees. Sounds like a fun time for the whole family (and a way to make up for dragging the kids to a trade show!).

For more info and to register, check out https://expo.tcia.org/.

The 2018 Biennial Independent Plant Breeders Conference will be held in Mobile, Alabama, on November 8-10, 2018. The meeting is full of educational opportunities from industry experts and propagators, plus you'll be able to see student research posters (if you are a student, be sure to submit yours!). Featured speakers include:

• Angela Treadwell-Palmer of Plants Nouveau—It’s All About the #Feels
• Brie Arthur of Gardenuity.com—Breeding Edibles for the Home Garden
• Bill Barnes of Barnes Arboretum—Nuances & Peculiarities in Plant Breeding

In addition, tours include the Mobile Botanical Gardens, Bellingrath Gardens, Flowerwood Nursery and Bobby Green Nursery. For more information, visit HERE. 

While this show isn’t of interest to everyone, I’d be remiss to not share some info on a show for this growing sector of horticulture. If you are looking into growing cannabis, you’ll want to check out MJBizCon, which takes place in—where else?—Las Vegas.

One talk that looked particularly interesting was “FDA & Trademarks: Lessons Learned from the Premium Cigar Industry.” This keynote will be given by Torsten Kuenzlen, CEO of Sundial Growers. Torsten spent 25 years in executive leadership positions on three continents, playing key roles at companies such as Coca-Cola and MolsonCoors. At Sundial, one of Canada’s largest cannabis companies, they use state-of-the-art cultivation facilities across Canada to produce more than 100 million grams of highest quality cannabis, making it one of the industry leaders domestically and internationally.

Other talks include:

• Compliance Matters: How to Stay on Top of Evolving Packaging Regulations
• Five Lessons from Five Years of Adult-Use Sales in a Trailblazing State
• What Are We Smoking? How Strain Name, Chemical Composition & Genetics Impact Product Marketability
• Canada: Assessing the First Month of Rec Sales

As you know, cannabis isn’t something you can just jump right into growing without doing some homework, so this is a great opportunity to get some info and knowledge about the ins and outs of growing, legality and forecasting sales.

For more info and to register, visit www.mjbizconference.com.

If you want to grow your irrigation business, you’ll want to attend the Irrigation Show and Education Conference. Whether your focus is agriculture, landscape or golf course, the Irrigation Show provides a comprehensive list of education offerings; hands-on access to the latest products and technologies; and programs, events and sessions designed to help you improve your irrigation practices.

If you are under 40, be sure to check out the Young Professionals Breakfast, where you can engage with your peers and share information and experiences.

For more information, visit www.irrigationshow.org.

Here’s a reason (that’s not Cultivate) to visit Columbus, Ohio: the Midwest Green Industry Experience Member Summit. This two-day event provides a learning and networking experience for business owners and team members in the landscape and nursery business.

The keynote speaker will be Terri McEnaney, President of Bailey Nurseries, who is a wealth of experience and knowledge. In addition to the keynote, there will be over 40 speakers including:

• Katie Debow, Creative Director of Garden Media Group—Unlocking the 2019 Garden Trends
• Jason Cromley, Owner and President of Hidden Creek Landscaping—The Power of Professional Photography
• Anne Obarski, CEO Merchandise Concepts—Be an Undercover Boss
• Maria Zampini, President of Upshoot LLC— 5 Ways (or Maybe 8) to Improve Your Social Media Marketing

There will also be a Wise Women Wednesday Networking Event, on December 12 at 8 p.m., sponsored by Luxflora. This event is included in the Member Summit ticket, but be sure to RSVP to tracie@onla.org if you’d like to take part.

For more info, visit www.onla.org.