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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