Attendee and exhibitor registration is now open for the 2024 Farwest Show, which will be held August 21–23, 2024 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon.
The three-day trade show and conference is produced by the Oregon Association of Nurseries, the trade group representing Oregon's nearly $1.4 billion nursery industry. Folks can purchase their expo and seminar passes and get early bird discounts at FarwestShow.com/Register.
Organizers are promising a fun show where green industry professionals can connect, grow and thrive with fellow nursery and greenhouse growers, lawn and garden center retailers, landscaping professionals and designers, plant breeders, suppliers, service providers, students, researchers, managers, leaders and others with industry ties.
"Farwest is where people can build out their network with fresh connections, find stunning plants, meet with experts, learn innovative new ideas, and find countless other ways to move their careers and their businesses forward," Farwest Show chair Mikaela Eaton of Eschenfelder Farms in Canby, Oregon, said. "It's a chance to do it all — network, learn, buy, sell and more, and have a great time doing it."
Two all-day tours of local nurseries and retail garden centers precede the show, starting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, August 20. The trade show floor will be open August 21–23, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on Friday. Educational seminars will take place all three of those days.
"Our seminar schedule is designed around the green industry professional," said Allan Niemi, director of events at the Oregon Association of Nurseries. "The mission is to help them power up their businesses and careers with engaging seminars on the cutting edge of thought leadership, so they can take home actionable, game-changing ideas and put them to work immediately."
Oregon is an ideal place to do all this. The state is an epicenter for the nursery industry, having sold $1.4 billion worth of plant material of all types in 2022, the most recent year tallied.
Money-saving early bird show registration is available until July 31, giving discount pricing on floor passes, nursery tours and educational seminar passes.
The show floor will be packed with more than 300 exhibiting companies, including wholesale growers, re-wholesalers, garden centers, landscape designers and service providers, allied service providers and suppliers, and more. An estimated 4,000+ attendees and guests will browse the latest plants, products and services available to horticultural businesses. Show features include the following:
- Two favorite show features — the New Varieties Showcase and the New Products Showcase — will preview the best new genetic discoveries and hard goods coming to the marketplace in 2024 and 2025. A panel of professionals and engaged attendees will issue awards and accolades to the top product entries and exhibiting companies across the show.
- Experts from all segments of the industry will deliver more than 45 educational seminars throughout the event, including free mini-sessions that take place at the Solution Center right on the trade show floor. Attendees can earn continuing education credits, including 10 hours of pesticide recertification credit. The keynote address on Wednesday will be free to all registrants. A discounted student and teacher education pass is available for attendees who provide identification from their institution.
- Networking opportunities will take place during the day and evening of the Farwest Show. The NexGen networking event invites future leaders in horticulture to meet and discuss their career goals at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. All attendees and exhibitors are welcome to join the traditional Happy Hour event starting at 5 p.m. on the same day. On Thursday, Women in Horticulture gather at 3:30 p.m. to share their experiences, build connections and support each other's career growth. The Pub Crawl begins soon after at 5 p.m. at Spirit of 77, across the street from the Oregon Convention Center, then moving along from there to another location. The fun will last into the evening.