Description
$48 (special price for Digging In members) $98 for non members. This event is open to everyone! If you’d like to become a member to receive the discount, join here
January 14 & 15, 2025
10:00am-1:00pm (eastern time)
Unlock the secrets to scaling your container gardening business by learning proven strategies and tips from industry experts during our upcoming webinar. Don’t miss this opportunity to boost your sales, expand your customer base, and grow your brand with practical insights tailored specifically for professional container gardeners! Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, this webinar promises to provide you with fresh ideas and practical knowledge that you can apply in 2025.
Can’t make the date or time? No problem! The webinar series will be recorded and we’ll send you a link to watch at a time that works for you! The recording will be available to watch for 60 days after the event. We encourage you to watch the event live if you can, this allows you to interact with the speakers and you’ll have a chance to win great prizes. You must register in order to attend virtually and/or get the link to watch the recording.
Photo Credit: Tracy Walsh Photography
Schedule*
Tuesday, January 14-
10:00am-Mastering the Client Inquiry Process- developing a consistent process for responding to potential clients to help you save time and generate more business, presented by Deb Mitzel- Deb Mitzel Creative, Small Business Operations Consultant
10:45am–Behind the Scenes at the Gardens at Ball- favorite container combos that thrived all season, presented by Joan Mazat- Ball Horticultural Company, Cut Flower Business Manager and Container Specialist
11:45am-Passive Income-utilize your social media and email list for another revenue source without more work, presented by Katie Elzer- Peters, CEO A24 Consulting and The Garden of Words
12:10pm-Digging Deeper- unlocking the secrets of soil, the foundation for fabulous containers, presented by Stacey Rocklin- Berger Soil, Grower Advisor
Wednesday, January 15-
10:00am-Pinterest is Powerful- how to leverage this platform and reach new audiences to grow your business, presented by Gail Pabst-National Garden Bureau, Marketing Manager
10:30am-Get GardenFit- taking care of your body so you can keep planting for years to come, presented by Madeline Hooper- GardenFit, GardenFit TV host
11:10am-The Power of the Palette: finding inspiration in color, presented by Mario Mirelez, color specialist, Schlegel Greenhouse
11:45am-Part 2-Digging Deeper- unlocking the secrets of soil substrates, the foundation for fabulous containers, presented by Stacey Rocklin-Berger Soil, Grower Advisor
12:15pm-Making vs Taking a Photo- techniques to transform your flower photos from simple snapshots into creative, intentional images, presented by Tracy Walsh- Tracy Walsh Photography, Professional Photographer
*schedule is subject to change.
Can’t make the date or time? No problem! The webinar series will be recorded and we’ll send you a link to watch at a time that works for you! The recording will be available to watch for 60 days.
Meet Our Presenters
Deb Mitzel
A seasoned business professional with 30 years of experience in the automotive industry and a decade as a successful entrepreneur, Deb Mitzel brings a wealth of knowledge and a personal touch to her work as a small business operations consultant for creative entrepreneurs. Having witnessed the struggles many creatives face with the business side of their passions, Deb has made it her mission to empower small business owners with the tools and strategies they need to succeed.
Tracy Walsh
Tracy Walsh discovered her passion for photography in grade school and began her professional career after earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art with a concentration in Graphic Design. Before pursuing freelance photography, she was as an art director for Gardening How-To magazine. Today, one of her key clients is Bailey Nurseries, whose brands include Endless Summer Hydrangeas. Her photography has also been featured in publications such as Fine Gardening, HGTV Magazine, Mpls St. Paul Home & Design, and Northern Gardener. Tracy’s artistic vision focuses on unique angles, vibrant colors and the overall shape and feeling of the images. Through her lens, Tracy seeks to capture the essence of being present, encouraging viewers to explore their consciousness and find beauty in the small details of life. Her work is an invitation to pause, reflect, and find harmony within the natural world and oneself.
Madeline Hooper
After a trailblazing public relations career that included creating and building the leading marketing-PR firm DeVries Global, and then a career as a ballroom dance competitor and teacher, Madeline de Vries Hooper immersed herself in the world of gardening. She was invited to become a trustee of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and then of the Berkshire Botanical Garden, where she has been Vice Chair for the past 10 years. She has visited many of the finest gardens in the United States and Europe and developed relationships with leading horticulturalists, garden designers, and plantspeople. However, her passion for gardening left her with many aches and pains. A friend recommended she work with a personal trainer and she learned new techniques and exercises to relieve her pain and enable her to garden more enjoyably and productively. These newfound habits were the inspiration for the GardenFit television show and workshop program. Madeline and her husband live in Columbia County, New York, where for the past 30 years they have devoted themselves to maintaining Rockland Farm, a 10-acre garden they created from scratch.
Joan Mazat
Joan Mazat is a founding member of the Ball Horticultural Company Mixed Container Solutions committee, which puts plants through their paces in The Gardens at Ball in West Chicago, Illinois. She is an avid and knowledgeable container gardener across many categories: annuals, perennials, tropicals, herbs, shrubs and more. Her current professional role at Ball is Cut Flower Business Manager, where she oversees the fresh floral assortment for Ball Seed.
Gail Pabst
With over three decades of experience in the horticulture industry, Gail Pabst brings a wealth of knowledge to her position as Marketing Director for the National Garden Bureau. She earned her Horticulture degree from the University of Illinois and has dedicated her career to the field. Gail loves helping businesses develop their communications and marketing plans as well as individual projects including branding, social media, email marketing, publications, blog posts and website analytics.
Stacey Rocklin
Stacey Rocklin, Grower Advisor, Berger, grew up in agriculture between the fields and vineyards of southwest Michigan exploring family farms. Graduating from Michigan State University with a B.S. in Horticulture, she worked as a grower in several commercial greenhouses before finding a home in public horticulture. From there she found herself back at her alma mater, Michigan State University guiding young people through their agricultural education and into careers as coordinator for a two-year partnership program. There Stacey was an advisor, taught horticulture science courses, worked with industry and community partners to create opportunities for young people to start their careers and shared her passion plants. Along the way, she picked up a master’s degree in teaching and learning and focuses on making the science of Ag and horticulture accessible to all industry professionals, no matter their background.
Mario Mirelez
Mario Mirelez, color specialist and plant aficionado at Schlegel Greenhouses loves to share how the color palette can be powerful in container gardening. He says his green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes he made while learning to see things from the plant’s point of view. His knowledge of color and love of plants makes the perfect combination for an inspiring presentation.
Katie Elzer-Peters
Katie Elzer-Peters is the founder and CEO of The Garden of Words, LLC, a digital marketing firm that specializes in email marketing, web development, web strategy, and business development for green industry clients. For 15 years she has helped green industry businesses of every size (from individuals to small, family-owned businesses and large corporations) grow and thrive in the age of technology. Katie and her team specialize in making digital marketing tools and tips accessible to everyone, regardless of background or experience. She has recently helped launch A24 Consulting to assist those in the garden industry to create an additional revenue source without additional work.
Thank you to these great companies for helping make this webinar series possible!
Top Photo Credit: Tracy Walsh Photography
