This year’s IGC Retailer Conference features five tracks of all-new interactive retail workshops that dig deep into issues of importance to the success of independent garden centers today, including “Cashing In on the ‘Shop Local’ Movement,” “Trying to Find the Work-Life Balance,” “Dollars & $ense,” “Store Makeovers,” and “Using Google to Power Your Market Research.” Each of the tracks’ sessions is detailed in full in the IGC Show 2017 Planning Guide.
Jeff Milchen, Co-founder and Co-director of the American Independent Business Alliance, leads the track “Cashing In On the ‘Shop Local’ Movement.” His sessions will look at what works — and what doesn’t — in building effective “shop local and independent” campaigns that draw more customers. This all-new track will look at how to turn your garden center’s community roots into customer loyalty, and how to build your base through community partnerships. Part of this process involves working with other local independent businesses to form an alliance that puts muscle behind the shop local push. Milchen will tell attendees how to initiate an independent business alliance and how to collaborate as a group to promote it for maximum impact.
Eliz Greene, another new presenter at this summer’s conference, is an award-winning health and wellness speaker and author of several books, including her new release this year, “The Trouble with Busy.” Greene is ready to help garden center owners and staff gain more control over high-stress situations during her interactive track, “Trying to Find The Work-Life Balance: Managing Garden Center Stress.” Her sessions will discuss protective methods to deal with the high-stress environment of the busy spring peak, while giving strategies for stress recovery and initiating a mental reset.