Pen & Petal, Inc. || Seminars and Speaking Engagements

Seminars

Kerstin Ouellet is a well-known speaker at industry and gardening events. She is well-versed on a variety of horticultural-, marketing- and PR topics, and can create custom presentations on numerous green industry topics. Take a look at some of her most popular seminar topics, or jump right to the calendar of upcoming speaking engagements.:

Container Garden Designs for Today and Tomorrow

Container gardening is not just a trend; it’s here to stay. But what is constantly evolving in container gardening are the new designs and color trends. I constantly update my container garden presentations with new designs and ideas. I always tweak the presentation to address the specific needs of the audience so that it is suitable for growers, retailers, landscape professionals, or a mixed audience. This session is best suited for a 60 minute presentation but can be modified for 45-90 minute time slots.

Do-It-Yourself and Don’t-Do-It-Yourself Green Industry Marketing

Marketing and branding are the big buzzwords in today’s industry. Unfortunately, they are also the concepts that can be most confusing and least understood, leaving many companies at a loss of what to do. This session discusses several aspects of marketing, advertising, and public relations, including printed materials, direct mail, media relations, internet marketing, and special events. It specifically looks at what to do and what to avoid, and what companies can do themselves. While it is best suited for “average” green-industry companies, even an old marketing pro is likely to walk away with many good ideas. This is best suited for a session 45 minutes in duration.

Building A Crisis Communications Plan

A good reputation is much more quickly lost than it was built. E. coli on spinach is the latest example, but a crisis can strike on a smaller level, too. A fire in the chemical shed, an accidental death of an employee, a fire in the greenhouse, a major plant disease problem, etc. are all examples of times when it is vital to get the correct info to the right people quickly to avoid misinformation and – worse – rumors. Therefore, every business needs a crisis communications plan. Unfortunately, not many businesses in our industry have one or are even aware of the concept. This can be devastating when a crisis strikes. This presentation discusses the need for a crisis communications plan and details the components that go into making a successful plan that will help businesses be better prepared for the unexpected, and help them recover more quickly. This session is best suited for 45 minutes but can be adapted for 30-60 minute time slots.

Contain Yourself: New Ideas for Fantastic Container Gardens

Container gardens continue to increase in demand, which is good news as long as you can successfully grow and sell them while making a profit. Kerstin Ouellet, container garden expert and author on the subject, will share with you her latest designs using many new and underused plants. Learn how to enhance your container gardens with perennials and ornamental grasses and how to make the most out of your container garden program. (Target audience: professional growers and retailers.)

Contain Yourself: Designing and Maintaining Fantastic Container Gardens

If you've always marveled at the stunning, European-style container gardens shown in gardening magazines, now you can learn how to create them yourself! Kerstin P. Ouellet, author of "Contain Yourself -- 101 Fresh Ideas for Fantastic Container Gardens," will share her knowledge of successful container garden design and maintenance. You'll learn how to design eye-catching plant combinations, how to choose the right planter, and how to plant and care for your container gardens. Don't miss this seminar if you want to learn how some of the latest plant introductions as well as some unusual plants can be turned into high-impact planters for your patio and garden! (Target audience: consumer.)

Presentation Sets Available

You can give professional container garden presentations using beautiful photography from "Contain Yourself." The set features 30 slides, both individual and group shots, giving you 35 container garden designs to talk about, enough for a 45-60 minute presentation! The set is available as a PowerPoint presentation for $120 -- an incredible value for these professional photographs! Please contact us for more information, or click here to order.

Kerstin's Speaking Schedule

Come and join Kerstin Ouellet as she shares her knowledge at one of these upcoming seminars. At most events you'll have the opportunity to purchase Kerstin's books after the event. If you are interested in having Kerstin speak at your event, e-mail her.

November 3, 2006: "Container Garden Designs for Today and Tomorrow" and "Do-It-Yourself and Don't-Do-It-Yourself Green Industry Marketing," Greenhouse Operators Informational Meeting, North Dakota State University, Minot, ND

November 29 , 2006: "Container Garden Designs for Today and Tomorrow" and "Do-It-Yourself and Don't-Do-It-Yourself Green Industry Marketing," Hort East Horticultural Trade Show & Conference, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

Pen & Petal Inc. Phone: (760) 451-2385 Fax: (760) 477-7502 info@penandpetal.com