Welcome to ProGreen EXPO 2012 - Tues., Feb. 7 - Fri., Feb. 10, 2012

Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Class In the wake of the Great Recession, many green industry firms find themselves asking how they can position themselves to survive the next one. This session will discuss the tactics that growers, landscape service providers, and retailers can utilize to maximize not only the likelihood of survival but of maximizing profit as well. Some serious soul-searching is needed going into 2012 and this session promises to deliver the serious discussion to make it happen!

Intermediate Class Is it more profitable to sell out of a crop and turn a few customers away or grow extra to ensure that every customer who wants a plant gets one? When margins were healthy, the argument in favor of satisfying market demand, even if it meant dumping the excess production, worked very well. Today, however, the landscape has changed for most growers and retailers. Peter will present his latest research into this area of profitability management and lead a discussion focusing on which strategy is best and when. Contrary to popular belief, sometimes the best action for one's overall profitability is to occasionally run out of certain crops. Come join the discussion of which crops belong in which category.

Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Class What are the eight universal principles of water harvesting that along with simple strategies could turn water scarcity into water abundance? Learn how these principles could empower you to create integrated water-sustainable landscapes for your own home and throughout your community. Even though rainwater harvesting is not currently legal in Colorado, knowing these principles could help position your firm on the forefront of water managing strategies in the future. More than giving the how-tos of rainwater and greywater harvesting, this session will challenge your assumptions about water use and sustainable practices.

Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Class The current economy has hurt many landscape firms, designers and builders. Many of the causes of this economic demise were closely linked to how we use and abuse land. Interestingly, those firms which have fared at least a little better seem to be ones that had already committed to sustainable practices, or that did so in response to losing conventional business. Learn from these half-dozen examples of landscape firms that have prospered by focusing on land restoration design, resource-conserving landscapes and other sustainable concepts. Also learn the speaker's "best guesses" regarding the future of our landscape professions.

Intermediate Class With rising labor costs, disappearing horticultural skills and a consumer trained by the big box stores to “go it alone”, merchandising has to attract customers, stop them, tempt them to get involved, explain the product, answer their questions and doubts and make the sale – all in a few seconds without a word being said! Ian will show just how the successful garden retailers are doing it.