From Where I Stand — After seven years of planning in-person iLandscape shows, I
felt like we were just starting to figure these things out. Outside of a few backbreaking weather events, the show had continued to grow each and every year. What began as a 4,000 person event had ballooned to a 6,500 person event. iLandscape routinely found itself on Trade Show Magazine’s Fastest 50 lists for attendance and exhibitor growth. We had bled over to a second hall. We had solved some of our larger issue such as a parking and concessions as best as we could. We had the perfect balance of education and networking. We never forgot our mantra of innovate, inspire, and imagine. For iLandscape365, we had 90 days. We had 90 days to plan and execute a virtual show from the moment we realized it was our only option. And in order for us to roar back in 2022 with the greatest party the green industry has ever seen, we needed 2021 to be a success to hold the line, provide CEUs, promote product and vendor awareness, and keep the industry’s chins up as it attempts to reboot after one of the most challenging and draining years in the history of the landscape industry. I can’t wait for you to discover what we’ve planned. Once again, our unbelievable committees, dedicated and fearless staff, wise Board of Directors, and loyal suppliers and sponsors came together to create iLandscape365. In-person vs. virtual is not simply a question of apples and oranges. It is apples and some strange new object that landed on earth that you need to first make sense of it before telling thousands of people that it’s pretty juicy and delicious. Whether iLandscape365 is an orange a kiwi a kumquat a starfruit or some other unnamed foodstuff, we are pretty darn proud of it. On the education front, we have over 60 speakers sharing their knowledge. Some of these sessions are live and some are on-demand. They are not only participating across states, but across countries and continents. We leaned into the very reason ILCA has been relevant since 1959 when a computer took up an entire room: we provide some of the best landscape education in the entire country. We do this because we listen to our members and judge success when we have too many solutions to too few problems. iLandscape365 begins each day with a keynote. 2021 is the year of the woman with two incredibly talented female landscape pros. Angela Treadwell Palmer sets the tone on Wednesday. She is the Founder of Plants Nouveau, a new plant introduction and marketing company. She is speaking to her wheelhouse of “New Plants; What’s Trending and Who’s in Charge?” We then roar out of the gate again on Thursday with Jan Bills. Jan is the Owner of Two Women and a Hoe Landscape Company out of Royal Oaks, Michigan. Her session entitled “Comfort, Ease and Simplicity” are three words that every landscape professional dreams about yet are always elusive. Our emcees, Experience Committee Chairperson Chris Walsh and ILCA President Donna Vignocchi-Zych, will guide us through two jam-packed days on the platform. Their quirky, funny banter will be what everyone needs and craves this time of year. From your morning cup of coffee to your afternoon cocktail, iLandscape365 overflows with opportunities to engage and connect. We have Master Classes with industry luminaries, free education speakers from the heaviest hitters on the national circuit, Lunch Bunch discussions, vendor showcases of new products, a gnome hunt for cash, trivia, award winners and so much more.
3...2...1... Ignition
A L L TO G E T H E R B E T T E R W W W. M A R I A N I P L A N T S .COM
866-627-4264
Scott Grams — January 18, 2021
The Landscape Contractor February 2021
7
