It’s In The Bag

John Friel

So it’s late July and I’m at the Perennial Plant Association Symposium in Cincinnati, donning my badge and checking out the contents of yet another tote bag. Is it possible to go to a conference in this industry and not come home with a tote bag? How many do you have in the hall closet?

No matter. While pawing through the freebies and propaganda in this one, I was buttonholed by an attendee. A seminar had just ended and this fellow—a customer—had been scanning the crowd. He noticed something that you’ve probably frowned about yourself, if you attend any hort trade shows. Where, he asked me, are the young people? I don’t see anyone under 30 here.

So we chatted about that a while. I’m on PPA’s Board of Directors, and thus, presumably, I bear some responsibility for stocking the membership with fresh faces. Trust me, it’s something we discuss at length at every Board meeting. And I’d wager that similar discussions take place around the table when the brain trust of every other non-profit in the green industry convenes.

First, I pointed out, that day’s seminars were open to the general gardening public. There were civilians in attendance, including many Master Gardeners from southern Ohio and northern Kentucky. And “young Master Gardener” is pretty much an oxymoron.

Second, I asked him, “How many young people did you bring with you from your business?” Bet you can guess the answer.

Associations work hard to keep costs reasonable. The PPA head office compares costs between cities and hotels, negotiates with venues, caterers, bus companies and speakers, and does a surprising amount of the grunt work that would greatly inflate the bottom line if left to the hotel staff and others, especially in union-controlled towns. This year, the Board created a whole new Young Professional membership category, specifically to make joining more affordable to those under 30.

Nonetheless, it’s not cheap to attend a multi-day event. If you ride all the rides, catch the pertinent speakers (and the impertinent ones, like Tony Avent), and dine reasonably well, you’ll come up with a per-capita cost that’s beyond the budget of most young people in this industry. Ergo, the unlined faces you DO see at such an event are there at the expense of their employers, who may or may not be their parents.

You may also be seeing one of several recipients of PPA Foundation-funded scholarships that give hort students a look behind the scenes and beyond the horizon. Educators, take note. It’s a great opportunity.

So the next time you wonder where all the young folks are, look in the mirror and ask the wrinkled visage looking back at you: How many did I bring with me?

Cast an appraising mind’s eye across the young people working at your nursery. Ask yourself which of them is a keeper—someone you hope will stay in the industry and in your employ. Then circle the last week of July 2015 and set it aside for the 33rd PPA Symposium in Baltimore. Bring them along with you and show them the social and educational side of the business. Watch them absorb the concept of networking.

Stop frowning at the lack of youth walking the show floor, taking in the lectures and riding the buses, and do something about it. Take a positive step to have a negative impact on the average age at a future function. It doesn’t have to be the PPA; if perennials are your bailiwick, it SHOULD be the PPA, pardon my bias, but there are certainly other good assemblies out there. Make your protégés share rooms and live on granola bars if necessary. Heck, look me up. I’ll buy them a meal and you a drink.

Despite your best efforts and intentions, not all the young folks you hire and mentor will stay in your business or even in the industry. But you might just be kindling a spark that ignites a career. You might even be giving them something they’ll cherish for years: the first installment on a record-setting tote bag collection. GP

John Friel is marketing manager for Emerald Coast Growers and a freelance writer.