Eyes on Associates By WPVGA Associate Division President Julie Cartwright, Jay-Mar, Inc.
Greetings! The calendar says that it is spring. As I write this, we should be in the field. Fertilizer application should be underway. Planters should be rolling. The reality is that March has just roared out like a lion and April fool’s weather will continue until at least the middle of the month. We are in for a slow start to the growing season.
Hopefully when you read this in early May, Mother Nature will be in a better mood! During our last WPVGA Associate Division meeting, we spent considerable time reviewing the survey responses from 2022 Industry Show exhibitors.
Providing a forum that brings value to both the growers and vendors is very important to us. We spent a lot of time evaluating the responses and looking for commonalities, both good and bad, for us to expand on or improve. Here are some of the highlights from the surveys:
1. We were very happy to see that 86 percent of those responding plan to attend next year. The remaining 14 percent were not sure. 2. Eighty-seven percent of responses gave the show an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars or better. 3. The overall feedback on the show was 60 percent positive. Those exhibitors giving positive feedback liked the format, customer interaction, balance between educational sessions and breaks, Julie Braun’s level of organization and the venue. The 40 percent that responded negatively wanted a better booth location and felt that attendance was down. 4. We asked vendors what entertainment they would enjoy at the banquet. Some suggested the dueling pianos or live bands that we have had in the past. Others gave suggestions like motivational speakers or hypnotists for future banquets. 5. When we asked for suggestions for improvement, 41 percent thought everything about the event was fine. Those offering suggestions would like to see meals return to buffet style and an increase in face time with customers.
When we asked for suggestions on improving the annual WPVGA Industry Show, 41 percent of survey respondents thought everything about the event was fine. Those offering suggestions would like to see meals return to buffet style and an increase in face time with customers. Enjoying lunch at the 2022 Industry Show are, from left to right, Seyed Bagherr and Cheryl and Bruce Andersen of BioGro, and Andy Wallendal, who is retired from Wallendal Supply, Inc. 50 BC�T May
We discussed ways to implement some of the suggestions. As we continue to move past COVID, we expect attendance to increase and buffet-style serving to return to our
