General Sessions

General sessions run from one to two hours. These sessions provide a wide array of tips, tricks, and invaluable nuggets of knowledge from experts across the industry. You can view all general sessions below.

Solving the Pricing Puzzle

General Sessions

Speaker(s):

Andrew Gregson, Intent Financial

Andrew Gregson is a serial entrepreneur. Since starting his training as an economist at the London School of Economics he has started 5 businesses. Andrew has worked as a consultant for 15 years and in finance for almost 20 years. He now advises consultants on how to bring the pricing tool to bear on their clients’ businesses to make them more profitable.

Andrew has authored two books: Pricing Strategies for Small Business (2008) & The Dark Art of Pricing – deliberately pricing for profit (2018). The best comment he has ever received about his presentation is: “I thought this would be snore fest so I drank extra coffee. But now I am so excited to get back to my business and apply everything!”

Topic

Solving the Pricing Puzzle

Do you want to know how pricing works? To all the accountants, peace! But it is NOT about numbers. It is about marketing and learning more about your customers and about how to sell your price. Marketing is 90% psychology and Andrew Gregson has spent 3 decades researching the psychology of why people buy. He has now created a practical, usable method for setting a price that generates a profit  – ALL the time. Andrew’s expectation is that you can deploy his methods on Day 1 and that continued attention will create profit opportunities for your company for years to come.

Date & Time(s)

9:00am - 10:30pm, Wednesday September 14, 2022

Pricing

Member Early Bird: $95.00

Non Member Early Bird: $110.00

Member Regular: $110.00

Non Member Regular: $135.00

Early bird seminar rates will available until Friday, September 2nd. 

Buy Tickets

Continuing Education Units

  • ISA BCMA – Management: 1.5
  • ISA Climber Specialist: 1.5
  • ISA Certified Arborist: 1.5
  • ISA Utility Specialist: 1.5
  • ISA Municipal Specialist: 1.5
  • ISA Aerial Lift Specialist: 1.5
  • LHCP: 1.5

The Ups and Downs of Irrigation Systems

General Sessions

Speaker(s):

Martin Duyvestyn, University Sprinklers

Martin Duyvestyn has a long history as a horticultural professional, having been in the business since 1989. He began designing and installing irrigation systems in 2009 with University Sprinklers. His accreditations include:  IIABC Certified Irrigation Designer, IIABC Certified Irrigation Scheduler, Certified Cross Connection Specialist and Certified Low Voltage Electrician. He loves hiking, camping, gardening, and all things outdoors, and has a passion for business and public relations. 

Topic

The Ups and Downs of Irrigation Systems

In this engaging workshop, Martin Duyvestyn, IIABC Certified irrigation designer, scheduler, and technician, will review construction of common irrigation systems and components. Learn the dos and don’ts, the ins and outs, and troubleshoot common irrigation problems. Martin will share University Sprinklers’ ‘Wall of Shame’ and poke some fun at irrigation faux pas. This workshop is great for anyone needs to sharpen up skills, requires a quick refresh, or is looking to learn something new!

Date & Time(s)

9:00am - 11:00am, Wednesday September 14, 2022

Pricing

Member Early Bird: $125.00

Non Member Early Bird: $150.00

Member Regular: $150.00

Non Member Regular: $175.00

Early bird seminar rates will available until Friday, September 2nd. 

Buy Tickets

Continuing Education Units

  • ISA BCMA – Practice: 2
  • ISA Climber Specialist: 2
  • ISA Certified Arborist: 2
  • ISA Utility Specialist: 2
  • ISA Municipal Specialist: 2
  • ISA Aerial Lift Specialist: 2
  • LHCP: 2

Solving the Staffing Dilemma

General Sessions

Speaker(s):

Jacki Hart, CLM, Consulting by Hart

Jacki is a sought-after landscape business coach, teacher, and speaker. She brings a career full of landscape business and team management experience – both as a landscape contractor and as a business coach. Just like many of you, her passion for landscapes and plants far outweighed her business management talent for many years. Fast forward 30 years, and she leverages both her hard-learned business acumen plus her passion for helping entrepreneurs and managers, in everything she does for the landscape profession. As a professional speaker, workshop facilitator, consultant, and business coach, Jacki focuses on helping others grow their businesses, their managers, and their success.

Jacki has over 200 published magazine articles to her credit and is a skilled entrepreneurial educator.

In her spare time (whenever that is) Jacki enjoys being in her kayak, on her bike or snowshoes exploring the rivers and forests near her Muskoka, Ontario home.

Topic

Solving the Staffing Dilemma

Never before has it been so important to manage the ‘internal brand’ experience in your company. More now than ever, what your employees experience every day at work is crucial to you being able to build an engaged team. If you want to know what the heck is going on and what to do about it, then you need to come to this seminar.

Date & Time(s)

9:00am - 10:00am, Wednesday September 14, 2022

Pricing

Member Early Bird: $75.00

Non Member Early Bird: $95.00

Member Regular: $95.00

Non Member Regular: $110.00

Early bird seminar rates will available until Friday, September 2nd. 

Buy Tickets

Continuing Education Units

  • ISA BCMA – Management: 1
  • ISA Climber Specialist: 1
  • ISA Certified Arborist: 1
  • ISA Utility Specialist: 1
  • ISA Municipal Specialist: 1
  • ISA Aerial Lift Specialist: 1
  • LHCP: 1

From the Ground Up: Digging in to Soil Health

General Sessions

Speaker(s):

Dieter Geesing, University of the Fraser Valley, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Dieter Geesing’s experience with soils and soil products spans over more than 30 years on topics as diverse as nutrient management, biological fixation of nitrogen, carbon sequestration, soil health, erosion and sediment control, and the production of compost and custom-made growing media for farms and the landscaping industry. He holds M.S. in Forestry, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Plant and Soil Science and is currently employed as the Provincial Soil Specialist at the BC Ministry of Agricultural and Food. Dieter has also been teaching soil science at the University of the Fraser Valley for more than 13 years.

Topic

From the Ground Up: Digging in to Soil Health

The “soil health” movement has come into the limelight with increasing evidence that healthy soils can be a key ally in the fight against climate change and dwindling global food security – if properly managed. In this session, participants will learn how to make more sense of the sometimes conflicting messages about the meaning of soil health and how to critically evaluate opportunities and limitations of regenerative farming practices and amendments on soil health. Participants will also learn about the pros and cons of some health assessment techniques and how to interpret the results.

Date & Time(s)

9:00am - 10:00am, Wednesday September 14, 2022

Pricing

Member Early Bird: $75.00

Non Member Early Bird: $95.00

Member Regular: $95.00

Non Member Regular: $110.00

Early bird seminar rates will available until Friday, September 2nd. 

Buy Tickets

Continuing Education Units

  • ISA BCMA – Science: 1
  • ISA Climber Specialist: 1
  • ISA Certified Arborist: 1
  • ISA Municipal Specialist: 1
  • ISA Aerial Lift Specialist: 1
  • LHCP: 1

Multi-Generational Workplaces

General Sessions

Speaker(s):

Jacki Hart, CLM, Consulting by Hart

Jacki is a sought-after landscape business coach, teacher, and speaker. She brings a career full of landscape business and team management experience – both as a landscape contractor and as a business coach. Just like many of you, her passion for landscapes and plants far outweighed her business management talent for many years. Fast forward 30 years, and she leverages both her hard-learned business acumen plus her passion for helping entrepreneurs and managers, in everything she does for the landscape profession. As a professional speaker, workshop facilitator, consultant, and business coach, Jacki focuses on helping others grow their businesses, their managers, and their success.

Jacki has over 200 published magazine articles to her credit and is a skilled entrepreneurial educator.

In her spare time (whenever that is) Jacki enjoys being in her kayak, on her bike or snowshoes exploring the rivers and forests near her Muskoka, Ontario home.

Topic

Multi-Generational Workplaces

There has never been a bigger disconnect between generations in the workplace than there is right now. This disconnect is fuelling The Great Resignation, with over 40% of your workforce planning to switch jobs in the next year. In this seminar, multi-gen expert Jacki Hart will tune you in to what’s different, why it’s here to stay, and what to do about it. In order to help solve your challenges with staffing, you’ll need this information to improve how you build your team!

Date & Time(s)

10:30am - 11:30am, Wednesday September 14, 2022

Pricing

Member Early Bird: $75.00

Non Member Early Bird: $95.00

Member Regular: $95.00

Non Member Regular: $110.00

Early bird seminar rates will available until Friday, September 2nd. 

Buy Tickets

Continuing Education Units

  • ISA BCMA – Management: 1
  • ISA Climber Specialist: 1
  • ISA Certified Arborist: 1
  • ISA Utility Specialist: 1
  • ISA Municipal Specialist: 1
  • ISA Aerial Lift Specialist: 1
  • LHCP: 1

Planting for Functionality: Let’s Make Native Bees our Primary Clients

General Sessions

Speaker(s):

Christine Thuring, PhD

Dr. Christine Thuring began her career in applied plant ecology and has worked with plants in a range of applications, from ecological restoration of grasslands and peat bogs to plant selection for green roofs and living walls. She is a founding board member of the Native Bee Society of BC. Christine holds a Master’s in Horticulture from Penn State University (2005) and a PhD in Landscape from the University of Sheffield (2016). 

Topic

Planting for Functionality: Let's Make Native Bees our Primary Clients

Bees and other pollinators are in trouble. People who work with plants are uniquely positioned to determine the fate of bees, and of the biosphere as a whole. Bees are mutualist keystone species, responsible for the fertilization of as much as 90% of the planet’s flowering plants. Given the essential role that native bees play to human food systems alone, it is clearly in our best interest to do everything we can to help. This presentation makes the case, especially to anyone with agency over plant selection and vegetation maintenance, that treating native bees as our primary clients can make us a force for good in the world. Whether providing healthy fodder and nesting considerations, ensuring fire smart planting design or other, planting for functionality will have beneficial knock-on effects through time and space.

Date & Time(s)

11:00am - 12:00pm, Wednesday September 14, 2022

Pricing

Member Early Bird: $75.00

Non Member Early Bird: $95.00

Member Regular: $95.00

Non Member Regular: $110.00

Early bird seminar rates will available until Friday, September 2nd. 

Buy Tickets

Continuing Education Units

  • ISA BCMA – Practice: 1
  • ISA Climber Specialist: 1
  • ISA Certified Arborist: 1
  • ISA Utility Specialist: 1
  • ISA Municipal Specialist: 1
  • ISA Aerial Lift Specialist: 1
  • LHCP: 1

Preventing MSIs in Ornamental Nurseries

General Sessions

Speaker(s):

Helen Chandler, WorkSafe

Helen Chandler has been an OHS Consultant with Consultation and Education Services at WorkSafeBC for 9 years. Helen has been employed in the field of Occupational Health and Safety for over 25 years including working as an OHS Advisor for Vancouver General Hospital, Manager of OHS at BCIT, and as an Ergonomics Consultant for the State Compensation Insurance Fund in California. She has a BSc in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo and a Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety from BCIT.

Tami Perkins, WorkSafe

Tami Perkins earned her BSc in Kinesiology at SFU, where she specialized in biomechanics.  After spending a few years working in rehabilitation and worker physical/cognitive assessments, she moved into Ergonomics where she has spent the past 20 years of her career. As an Ergonomist at WorkSafeBC, Tami has worked both in the Fatal and Serious Injury department as a Human Factors Specialist as well as in her current roll as Ergonomist/Human Factor Specialist in the Risk Analysis Unit. As a Human Factors Specialist within WorkSafeBC’s Fatal and Serious injury investigation division, Tami was responsible for analyzing why an event occurred for the benefit of organizational and industry-wide learning.  In her current roll within the RAU, she continues her work in human factors and incident investigation while also working with employers to help reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injury.

Topic

Preventing MSIs in Forest and Ornamental Nurseries

MSIs (musculoskeletal injuries) are the leading type of injuries in many industries, particularly forest and ornamental nurseries. In this session learn about the basics of the MSI risk management process and how to incorporate MSI management into current safety practices. In addition, learn about a new resource in development by WorkSafeBC specifically for Ornamental Nurseries and provide feedback about what you and your employees want to see in this resource.

Date & Time(s)

11:00am - 12:00pm, Wednesday September 14, 2022

Pricing

Member Early Bird: $75.00

Non Member Early Bird: $95.00

Member Regular: $95.00

Non Member Regular: $110.00

Early bird seminar rates will available until Friday, September 2nd. 

Buy Tickets

Continuing Education Units

  • ISA BCMA – Practice: 0.5
  • ISA BCMA – Management: 0.5
  • ISA Climber Specialist: 1
  • ISA Certified Arborist: 1
  • ISA Utility Specialist: 1
  • ISA Municipal Specialist: 1
  • ISA Aerial Lift Specialist: 1
  • LHCP: 1

Best Practices for Marketing and Growing your Horticulture Business Online

General Sessions

Speaker(s):

Andrew Jackson, North Shore Digital

Andrew Jackson is an SEO and digital marketing professional with over 10 years’ specific experience. He teaches courses, such as Digital Marketing, SEO, SEM Fundamentals, and Google Analytics, at BrainStation, the global leader in digital skills training. Previously, he wrote and researched three digital marketing online courses for the University of British Columbia. 

Originally from the UK, he has lived and worked in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Korea, and is now settled in Canada. He has wide-ranging experience in digital marketing for the home services, trades, education, and technology industries, having fulfilled roles as diverse as Marketing Director at a high-tech start-up, Digital Marketing Manager at an international boarding school, and Digital Media Specialist for GLOBE, the international symposium on the business of the environment. Andrew has a B.A. in German Studies and a Master of Science in IT, Management & Organizational Change from the Lancaster University Management School, one of the leading business schools in the UK. He is happily married with 3 daughters and lives on the North Shore, a place he is proud to call home. 

Chris Archer, North Shore Digital

Chris Archer has been helping digital companies grow for over a decade. With experience in all areas of business and marketing, he is now the Director of Client Relationships at North Shore Digital. Chris is an expert in sales, business development and how to convert prospects into paying customers in the digital space. Chris comes from a Bachelor of Commerce & Finance academic background in his native Australia and has a proven track record in sales and marketing for QTrade, MetroQuest, PureWeb and more. 

Topic

Best Practices for Marketing and Growing your Horticulture Business Online

At North Shore Digital they are experts in online lead generation for horticulture, landscaping, and gardening companies. Andrew, Chris, and Carly will show you effective ways to generate new inquiries online using paid ads, SEO and website marketing, featuring insights and data from highly successful and profitable campaigns over the past 3 years. Their strategies and tactics work effectively to grow companies in your target services and geographical locations that enable you to generate business, even in your off-season.  

Learn about the most important online strategies for your business, what tactics you should be prioritizing, and all the key elements and tools needed to build your website and online presence into a revenue generating asset! 

Date & Time(s)

11:30am - 12:30pm, Wednesday September 14, 2022

Pricing

Member Early Bird: $75.00

Non Member Early Bird: $95.00

Member Regular: $95.00

Non Member Regular: $110.00

Early bird seminar rates will available until Friday, September 2nd. 

Buy Tickets

Continuing Education Units

  • ISA BCMA – Management: 1
  • ISA Climber Specialist: 1
  • ISA Certified Arborist: 1
  • ISA Utility Specialist: 1
  • ISA Municipal Specialist: 1
  • ISA Aerial Lift Specialist: 1
  • LHCP: 1

High Performance Brands and Culture

General Sessions

Speaker(s):

Brian Martin, CHRE, ACC Made to Measure

Brian Martin, CHRE, ACC is a certified business coach. His career is dedicated to helping employees, leaders, teams, and organizations realize their full potential. A change agent, organizations benefit from his unique perspective on company culture, performance, and engagement. His diverse background includes operations and human resource executive positions for well-known Canadian and U.S. retail brands.  Most recently he was the Vice President of Organizational Development for Indigo & Chapters. Previously he was the Vice President, Global Talent Development for the TJX Companies (Winners, HomeSense, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx), a Fortune 100 company based in Boston, MA.   

Brian recently returned to the Fraser Valley from Toronto and operates Made to Measure, a full circle consulting and coaching firm. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Children’s Chorus.  An advocate for childhood literacy, his company is proud to have brought Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to the Fraser Valley. 

Topic

High Performance Brands and Culture

Becoming an employer of choice has never been more challenging.  Explore what it takes to create a compelling employee culture and brand.  Learn how to stand out from the competition and become a magnate for talent. 

Date & Time(s)

1:00pm - 2:30pm, Wednesday September 14, 2022

Pricing

Member Early Bird: $95.00

Non Member Early Bird: $110.00

Member Regular: $110.00

Non Member Regular: $135.00

Early bird seminar rates will available until Friday, September 2nd. 

Buy Tickets

Continuing Education Units

  • ISA BCMA – Management: 1.5
  • ISA Climber Specialist: 1.5
  • ISA Certified Arborist: 1.5
  • ISA Utility Specialist: 1.5
  • ISA Municipal Specialist: 1.5
  • ISA Aerial Lift Specialist: 1.5
  • LHCP: 1.5

Planting for Drought Resistance

General Sessions

Speaker(s):

Alex Augustyniak, Minter Country Gardens

Alex grew up on a farm in Ontario with over 400 acres of cash crops, cows, pigs, chickens, ducks as well as vegetables, 15 acres of tomatoes, and a pollinator area of wildflowers; he’s been growing things ever since. Alex was General Manager of West Coast Seeds, then National Sales Manager for WCS, PineBush Home and Garden and Renee’s Garden Seed for Canada in addition to serving as Treasurer for All America Selections. Alex is currently Director and Co-owner of Minter Country Garden as well as Owner of Lucky Sun Farm where they are trialing flowers, trees, herbs, and vegetables. He enjoys growing and farming organically as well as giving back to the community, growing food for the food bank, and doing in-person talks and events to help people learn how to grow their own food in a sustainable method. 

Topic

Planting for Drought Resistance

Join Alex Augustyniak to learn about utilizing wildflowers and perennial plants to create areas that are drought tolerant and easy to maintain. This strategy is particularly great for areas with safety issues to access like boulevards in high traffic corridors, or areas with steep slopes that need to be naturalized for birds and pollinators. 

Date & Time(s)

1:00pm - 2:00pm, Wednesday September 14, 2022

Pricing

Member Early Bird: $75.00

Non Member Early Bird: $95.00

Member Regular: $95.00

Non Member Regular: $110.00

Early bird seminar rates will available until Friday, September 2nd.