At the 2019 Farwest Show Dr. Bridget Behe, professor of horticultural marketing at Michigan State University, will deliver two retail-garden-center-focused addresses on merchandising and pricing. The talks will help retailers improve marketing strategies and mix in connecting with consumers at point of sale and relative plant pricing. The Farwest Show will be held August 21–23 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Behe’s first talk, “Build a More Shoppable Space,” sponsored by Green Profit magazine, will be presented from 8:30– 9:30 a.m., Thursday, August 22. From recent eye-tracking research findings in her consumer studies, Dr. Behe will explain how to create a more compelling retail space. The session will help improve retail marketing strategy by incorporating research-based information on consumer preferences.
The second session, “The Art and Science of Plant Pricing,” is scheduled for 12:30–1:30 p.m., Thursday, August 22. Dr. Behe will discuss pricing concepts and share research-based findings on how consumers react to pricing in communications. For retailers, as well as growers and wholesalers, pricing remains an important part of the marketing mix.
Registration is required for both talks. Convenient registration with discounts is available at https://farwestshow.com/register/. Complete details on events, daily schedules, speakers, and education for Farwest can be found at www.farwestshow.com. For further questions, contact Zen Landis, event and education manager, at 503-582-2011 and zlandis@oan.org.
Dr. Behe teaches courses on marketing and management for horticulture majors at Michigan State University and speaks to professionals and industry groups nationally and internationally. She has conducted more than 100 consumer and market research projects on horticultural products, both edible and ornamental and has written more than 500 publications in the trade press and in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Behe joined Michigan State’s faculty in August 1997, after serving on the faculty at Auburn University for eight years. She earned degrees from Penn State University (Ph.D. in horticulture, B.S. in horticulture, B.S. in agricultural education) and The Ohio State University (M.S. in horticulture).
The Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN), based in Wilsonville, represents nearly 800 wholesale growers, retailers, landscapers and suppliers. Oregon’s ornamental horticulture industry is one of the state’s largest agricultural commodities, with annual sales of $947 million. Oregon’s nursery industry is a traded sector; nearly 80 percent of the nursery plants grown in Oregon are shipped out of state. For information, visit www.oan.org or call 503-682-5089.
The Farwest Show, the largest green industry show in the West, is produced by the OAN, a trade organization that represents and serves the interests of the ornamental horticulture industry. Any revenue realized by the OAN is reinvested into the industry through education, research, marketing support and government relations. For more information about the 2019 Farwest Show, visit www.FarwestShow.com or call 503-682-5089.