September 2020 - 6

FROM THE EDITOR
LIVING AND WORKING IN A
DIGITAL WORLD
I don't know about you, but I often fantasize about the day when I can actually meet
with a friend or colleague, in person, over some lunch, maskless. We could talk about
anything other than viruses and " the new normal. " Perhaps one day soon I can even
travel to another state, walk the aisles of a trade show floor, sleep in a hotel.
So much of what we do in our professional (and personal) lives today is done online.
In the horticulture industry, face-to-face interaction and nurturing our personal
relationships has always been a top priority. But given the extreme circumstances
we are living in today, very few of us are traveling or working outside of the home
unless necessary.
Cultivate, our industry's biggest North American trade show, was severely disrupted
due to health guidelines and travel restrictions. But the organization came up with an
alternative plan to bring us all together despite the setback of not being able to gather
physically.
I have to say, like many of you, I was skeptical about how Cultivate Virtual would play
out. As the event kicked off while I manned the GPN booth, I started receiving chat
messages from visitors. Some were just a friendly " hello, " while others had questions
about the magazine or wanted to discuss potential article topics.
It took an hour or so of getting used to, but the energy was refreshing. I hopped from
booth to booth, even sent a chat to say hi and learn about new products or discuss
industry happenings. I don't know about you, but few things are as awkward as standing
next to a trade show booth, waiting for a representative to wrap up a conversation with
someone else so you can step in. Ah, silver lining - no awkward hovering!
In this month's Chat Room survey, I asked readers if they attended the virtual event
and how they enjoyed this new format. About half of the respondents said they did
attend. Some were, of course, critical - which is to be expected. Nothing could ever take
the live event's place. But many attendees thought it was better than expected and even
made new contacts or found new companies they were not aware of. I shared some of
their quotes on page 12.
If anything, I feel this pandemic and the new virtual world we're living in is certainly
teaching us all a lesson on better ways to communicate within our own organizations and
to our respective audiences. Creating a presence on digital platforms has been important
for years, but it's more important now than ever.
On page 20, you'll find a Q&A we did with a company that specializes in digital
marketing for the horticulture market. Coincidentally, I " met " Allison from Everbearing
Services while roaming the Cultivate Virtual trade show floor. She had a lot of information
to share, so we continued the conversation on the pages of GPN.
How are you stepping up your online marketing strategy? Are you
actively using social media and updating your website? There is a
lot to think about, but it's definitely not as difficult as it seems - as
long as you have a plan and execute.
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September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2020