Connect
Join garden writers, bloggers, photographers, speakers and communicators from across the world for special events designed to make new connections and reconnect with old friends, including networking events and receptions, all culminating with the 2017 Annual Awards & Honors Dinner. And don’t forget to head to the Expo for a colorful showcase of new varieties, products and services from exhibitors changing the horticultural landscape.

Learn
This year's education schedule will be jam-packed with insightful and dynamic sessions from leaders in the industry, focusing on horticulture, writing, technology, business, publishing and much more. Back by popular demand, roundtable topics will feature exciting short-format sessions made to inspire and inform. 

Grow
Buffalo is home to breathtaking public and private gardens and this year's tour line-up will feature a fantastic group of gardens, covering a wide array of techniques and trends. Enjoy special access to amazing public gardens as well as exclusive tours of beautiful private gardens.

Gardens & Tours • Travel & Accommodations 
Exhibitor Information • Sponsor Information 
Frequently Asked Questions

 

Buffalo Niagara Convention Center | Buffalo, NY

Schedule

Thursday, August 3
3:00PM - 8:00PM	Pre-Conference Workshop  Write Better Right Now: Tips and Techniques to Power Up Your Next Project Must be registered for full conference to attend. Additional registration is required. Meal included.
Friday, August 4
8:00AM - 2:00AM	Exhibitor Move-in
12:00PM - 7:00AM	Registration
9:00AM - 11:00AM	Pre-Conference Workshop (Continued) Write Better Right Now: Tips and Techniques to Power Up Your Next Project Must be registered for full conference to attend. Additional registration is required. Meal included.
11:30AM - 12:30PM	Regional Meetings
12:30PM - 1:30PM	First-Time Attendee Meeting
2:00PM - 4:00PM	Meet the Authors NEW FOR 2017! We will provide you with a table to meet the Buffalo-area garden loving public! Registration will be first come, first serve. Click here to register
4:00PM - 8:00PM	#GWA2017 Expo
5:30PM - 7:30PM	Opening Reception @ #GWA2017 Expo
8:00PM - 9:00PM	President's Exhibitor & Sponsor Reception By invitation only
Saturday, August 5
12:00PM - 7:00PM	Registration
7:00AM - 8:00AM	Early Morning Photo Shoot: Cottage District
8:00AM - 11:45AM	Story Tour: Cottage District, Elmwood Village & Lancaster Avenue Continental breakfast provided by Visit Buffalo Niagara
12:15PM - 1:00PM	Lunch
1:00PM  - 2:00PM	Welcome & Opening Keynote: Kevin Gaughan ​
2:00PM  - 2:45PM	GWA Annual Business Meeting
2:45PM - 3:00PM	Break
3:00PM - 4:00PM	Roundtable Topics
4:00PM - 8:00PM	#GWA2017 Expo
5:30PM - 7:30PM	Reception @ #GWA2017 Expo
8:00PM - 11:00PM	Exhibitor Move-Out
Sunday, August 6
7:00AM - 8:00AM	Morning Reboot with Christopher Freimuth, a Trained Massage Therapist and Yoga Instructor
8:00AM - 1:00PM	Registration
8:30AM - 9:30AM	Learning Sessions Telling the Story to Sell What We Love (C.L. Fornari) Glenstone: The Challenge of Building One of America's Largest Sustainable Landscapes from the Ground Up (Paul Tukey) Tribe-Building 101: The Power of Community (Debra Prinzing & Nan Sterman)
8:30AM - 10:30AM	Exhibitor Move-Out
9:30AM - 9:45AM	Break
9:45AM - 10:45AM	Learning Sessions Make "Local" Lucrative (Barbara Wise, Jacqueline Soule, Larry Hodgson, Mary Ann Newcomer & Noelle Johnson)  Cannabis: The Next Tomato! What The Garden Writer Needs To Know to Get Started (Dan Heims & Jeff Lowenfels)  Social Media & SEO for the Garden Industry: Improving Your Website Traffic and Following (Chris Link & Jan Bills)
10:45AM - 11:00AM	Break
10:45AM - 11:00AM	Lunch & Learning Session Creating Great Videos is Fun...Really! (Doug Oster)  Quantum Economics for Garden Communicators: Bridging the Gap Between Purpose and Profit (Rita Perea) Double Down: Boom without Bloom and Boom with Bloom (Bobbie Schwartz & Dan Benarcik)
12:30PM - 4:30PM	Story Tour Olmsted, Write & Richardson Horticultural Heritage Tour
5:00PM - 6:15PM	Reception @ Buffalo Botanical Gardens Sponsored by Garden Walk Buffalo Niagara, Plant WNY, and Plantasia ​
6:45PM - 8:00PM	GWA Committee & Leadership Reception By invitation only
Monday, August 7
8:00AM - 12:00PM	Registration
8:30AM - 9:30AM	Learning Sessions Touch of the Tropics (Keri Byrum, Jennifer Nelis, Sylvia Gordon & Teresa Watkins) Reconnecting Plants to People, Wildlife and Our Planet (Brian Minter) Words & Pictures - Sure-fire Tips to Writing Winning Headlines and Captivating Captions (Mary Kate Mackey & Kathy Jentz)
9:30AM - 9:45AM	Break
9:45AM - 10:45AM	Learning Sessions Tips from the Toastmasters: Get the Humor In! (Dave Wohlfeil, Karen Aubrecht & Phil Colaruso) Good Pictures in Bad Conditions (Mark Turner)  The New Plant Roundup  (Kelly Norris & Maria Zampini)  Sponsored by National Garden Bureau
10:45AM - 12:00PM	Closing Keynote Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants Robin Kimmerer  Sponsored by Brent and Becky's Bulbs
12:00PM - 12:45PM	Lunch
1:00PM - 4:45PM	Story Tours (Pick Your Own Adventure) Draves Arboretum Southtowns Private Gardens, Plant Collections & LEED Lot
6:15PM - 7:00PM	2017 GWA Media Awards & Honors Reception (Cash Bar)
7:00PM - 9:00PM	2017 GWA Media Awards & Honors Dinner with Emcee Allan Armitage Sponsored by Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs
9:00PM - 11:00PM	#GWA2017 Afterparty ​Sponsored by American Meadows and High Country Gardens
Tuesday, August 8
10:00AM - 9:30PM	Post Conference Story Tour (Full Day) Niagara Falls, Niagara Park Horticultural School, Butterfly Conservatory & Botanical Gardens Additional Registration Required
8:30AM - 1:30PM	Post Conference Story Tour (Half Day) Lake Erie's Urban Farms, Rooftop Gardens and More! Additional Registration Required

Registration Deadlines

• Early: June 1, 2017
• Regular: July 15, 2017
• Late: August 1, 2017

Payment Plans 
Payment plans for registration are available. Registration MUST be paid in full by July 15. Please call 212.297.2198 for more information.

Miscellaneous Registrations  
Options for single day registration and GWA Awards & Honors Dinner tickets available. Please call 212.297.2198 for more information. 

Cancelation Policy 
Cancelation requests received in writing by Friday, June 30 will be subject to a 25% cancelation fee, which will be deducted from the refund. No refunds will be made on or after Friday, June 30. Substitutions will be permitted with no penalties. 

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