It’s showtime!

So, here’s a confession: This will be the first year I’ve attended AmericanHort’s Cultivate show in Columbus. But I’ve got a good reason for that. The July show arrives at the end of my first year editing and reporting stories related to the industry in Greenhouse Management magazine and our sister digital publication, Garden Center magazine.

Around here, Cultivate is something of a legendary pilgrimage, and it acts as an inflection point in our editorial year. Largely because of the show, our July issue is packed. We have the New Annual Varieties guide, the State of Growing Media Report and a few more special additions that you’ll be able to find in your mailbox and on the show floor. It’s a lot of work, but it is a labor of love. For us, attending Cultivate is a dive into the best of the horticulture industry as much as it is a celebration of providing the best coverage of the industry possible.

I love that Cultivate occurs in the middle of the year, just a tad past the summer solstice. This is a time when those who grow appreciate what’s taken root and start looking for the harvest to come. In some ways, the gathering in Columbus is the perfect reflection of that tradition translated to business. The vendors, speakers and events provide that sense of potential that you see in your greenhouses. The sessions and exhibits show the hard work that’s already been done. When we walk away from the show floor or the meeting room, we carry that potential and have the opportunity to harvest success when we put the ideas into practice or put the materials into production.

To say that I’m excited to attend Cultivate for the first time is something of an understatement. I’ve been looking forward to it all spring. And yes, I know it may be overwhelming, and even exhausting, but I’m excited to meet many of the folks I’ve interviewed for stories over the last year and make a bunch of new connections.

I am an incredibly curious person. I grab on to any chance I have to learn something new. So, this is my request for you: Do not hesitate to reach out or pull me aside if you see me at the show. I want to know what’s new with you and what you have in the works. I want to learn about the innovations you’ve developed for the horticulture industry and try out the cool things you’re making. It is, after all, what I’m there for.

If you’ll be in Columbus and want to chat, send me an email, and we’ll get coordinated. It’s time for us to shine. It’s showtime.