How One Virtual Event Connected Greenhouse Growers and Suppliers

The COVID-19 pandemic may have prevented some of the largest and most progressive greenhouse operations and leading industry suppliers from conducting high-level business meetings in person at GreenhouseConnect, but the online event allowed those conversations to take place, addressing growers’ unique challenges.

GreenhouseConnect Online was held Oct. 20-23 and mimicked what is at the heart of the in-person event: one-on-one meetings. Using Zoom video conferencing, growers and suppliers had private, 50-minute meetings, decision maker to decision maker, and thanks to technology, face to face.

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Before the start of GreenhouseConnect Online, growers were interviewed to gather information on specific operational needs. Suppliers were recruited based on growers’ interests, and growers and suppliers determined who they wanted to meet with prior to the start of the event.

GreenhouseConnect Online was one of the few events in the last several months that allowed participants to be actively engaged, said Jennifer Neujahr, Director of Business Development at Profile Products, LLC, the developer of HydraFiber.

“That was a benefit; you could engage with [the grower],” she said. “People showed up for our online meetings and we connected. I thought it was terrific given so many in-person industry events have been canceled this year.”

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Neujahr said she feels good about the conversations she had with growers, adding that the company’s participation in GreenhouseConnect could mean up to $1 million in new sales with the growers she and her team had an opportunity to connect with.

“GreenhouseConnect remains a favorite industry event and has been pivotal to the launch of the HydraFiber business,” she said.

Learning Opportunity

For growers, GreenhouseConnect Online presented a chance to learn about some of the latest products, services, and technology from the comfort of a private Zoom meeting room. John O’Neal, Head Grower at greenhouse vegetable producer BrightFarms’ Wilmington, OH, location, said the suppliers he and General Manager Brian Stephens met with had the operation’s specific needs at the heart of the conversations.

“[The suppliers] are focused on our needs, so we have a customized experience,” O’Neal said.

Stephens emphasized the importance of the grower and supplier relationship.

“We are never done improving and the supplier relationship is critical,” he said. “The suppliers are doing things in specific areas, and we gain knowledge and resources by connecting with them. It is continuous improvement for us.”

Growers also had an opportunity to gain knowledge from each other during the growers-only forum on October 19. Topics included labor, transportation, automation, and COVID-19 — just to name a few. The online forum gave growers a chance to learn, discuss, and ask questions about issues critical to the industry.

Interested in GreenhouseConnect 2021? The event will be held in Lake Tahoe, CA, Oct. 19-22. For more information, contact Rosemary Gordon at [email protected].

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