2025 Farwest Show calls for speakers

The Oregon Association of Nurseries is now accepting speaker proposals for the 2025 Farwest Show, a trade show and conference serving the national nursery and greenhouse industry.

Farwest will take place Aug. 20–22, 2025, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. The show was founded in 1973 and recently celebrated its 50^th anniversary.

“Education is a key component of Farwest,” Show Director Allan Niemi said. “We are looking for presenters who can offer meaningful insights, useful knowledge and practical strategies for the thousands of nursery professionals who attend our show each year.”

Topics may include horticulture and plants; pesticide application; integrated pest management; wholesale grower-focused information; marketing, merchandising, retail and business tactics; consumer trends; landscape design and architecture; and mechanization, technology and innovation, as well as other topics.

Additionally, the 2025 Farwest Show is looking for speakers for its new Climate Summit, a vital new initiative aimed at addressing the growing importance of sustainability in the green industry. The summit will bring together industry leaders, innovators and environmental experts to discuss solutions for reducing environmental impact and navigating climate-related challenges. The topics of the summit may include government policies and climate regulations; climate change; climate resilient plants; and practices that mitigate climate change, as well as other topics.

The speaker proposal form is located at FarwestShow.com/Speaker_Signup/.

Speaker requirements are listed there. The site also outlines the speaker selection process. All proposals must be submitted by February 10, 2025. A committee will then review the proposed presenters and topics and make selections based on timeliness, ingenuity and industry relevance.

“We always strive to create a balanced education program to inspire and educate green industry leaders today and in the future,” Niemi said.

The show boasts more than 300 exhibiting companies, including wholesale growers, re-wholesalers, garden centers, landscape designers and service providers, allied service providers and suppliers and more. More than 4,000 attendees and guests typically browse the latest plants, products and services available to horticultural businesses.

Oregon is a nationwide nursery industry leader, with more than $1.2 billion in sales during the most recent year tallied. It’s the leading state for coniferous evergreens, deciduous shade trees, deciduous flowering trees, bareroot nursery products, B&B nursery products and cut Christmas trees.

Complete details on the Farwest Show are available at FarwestShow.com. For further questions, contact Jamie Moore, OAN events and education coordinator, at JMoore@OAN.org or 503-582-2010.