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About the Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show
Attending Mid-Am opens a window of opportunity to see for yourself what's new, what works, and what sells!
- Strategic Opportunities—Capitalize on attendee and exhibitor networking opportunities and exhibitor sponsorships, including the free Mid-Am Mixer and Reception.
- Trade Show Survival— Learn about the power of trade shows and how Mid-Am—the green industry answer place—delivers exciting, up-to-date business-building and professional development opportunities that you can actually see and experience first hand.
- Buying Power—Save time and money by seeing a variety of products in one place to compare prices and services.
- Business Relationships—Increase contacts from hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of attendees.
- Current Trends—See the latest and greatest fresh new products and services in person to stay inspired.
- Educational Programs—Choose from the vast educational sessions, meetings, and seminars to stay informed that may ultimately result in improved customer service and business decisions, including the Pre-Conference Workshop.
- Networking—Explore solutions to challenges and build business relationships by mingling with the broad spectrum of horticultural professionals—growers, designers, sellers, managers, and more.
- Future Resources—Meet new horticulture graduates at the Career Center to see what the future holds for the industry.
- Convenience—Everything is in one place that is easy to access, just in time for the new season.
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Mid-Am Attendees and Exhibitors
Mid-Am attracts a broad spectrum of horticultural professionals, including growers, nursery operators, landscape contractors, garden center and chain store buyers, grounds maintenance managers, landscape architects, florists, interiorscape professionals, public lands managers, arborists, golf course superintendents, and students. Considered by exhibitors to be one of the best order-writing trade shows of the year, Mid-Am attracts an array of influential buyers.
Event Features
Mid-Am features educational events including the Pre-Conference Workshop, Midwinter Conference, and Mentoring Roundtable, a Student Career Center to introduce horticulture students to prospective employers, and some of the finest goods and services available to the horticultural community.
Event Facilities
McCormick Place Complex is the one of the largest convention facility in the nation consisting of four state-of-the-art buildings— Lakeside Center, North, South, and West Buildings. Mid-Am will now hold its annual show in McCormick Place West, which is ideally suited for a showthe size of Mid-Am with ample room and parking that accommodates more than 10,000 vehicles. Nonstop shuttle bus service operates between McCormick Place and MidAm's headquarters hotel, the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
McCormick Place first opened for business in 1960 as a single building. After increasing volume indicated the need for expansion, subsequent buildings were constructed. Improvements include a Grand Concourse connecting the entire complex that houses retail shops and visitor attractions, and a climate-controlled pedestrian walkway that provides protected passage from the North Building, located across Lake Shore Drive, to the rest of the complex.
The Premier Horticultural Trade Show for More Than 35 Years!
The Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show (Mid-Am) attracts thousands of growers, landscape service providers, retailers, and suppliers to Chicago each January. The timing of the show enables buyers and planners to prepare for the growing and sales season ahead. Mid-Am is for everyone involved in growing, designing, installing, maintaining, or selling plants and related material.
Since its beginnings at the Arlington Park Convention and Exposition Center in January 1973, Mid-Am has outgrown a number of homes, moving from Arlington Park to the O'Hare Exposition Center in 1977, to the Hyatt Regency Chicago in 1981, and to Navy Pier in 1996, enabling the show to expand by 40 percent. Mid-Am outgrew Navy Pier and moved to larger quarters in 2004 to Chicago's Lakeside Center at McCormick Place and will move again to McCormick Place West.
Mid-Am is sponsored by the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA), the Illinois Green Industry Association (IGIA), and the Wisconsin Green Industry Federation (WGIF).
Attendance Record
The following is a breakdown of the show's registration numbers for recent years:
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YearVerified Registration20098,795
2008
11,538
2007
12,926
2006
12,728
2005
12,058
2004
13,086
2003
11,949
2002
11,632
2001
12,204
2000
11,844
1999
11,684
1998
11,443
1997
10,491*
1996
11,684
1995
9,543
- *The drop in attendance from 1996 to 1997 can be attributed to the heavy snowfall received throughout the region during the days immediately preceding the show.
Charter Exhibitors
Among the 154 exhibitors at the first Mid-Am trade show were 21 who have continued to exhibit at Mid-Am every year since--that's 37 consecutive years! These charter exhibitors are being recognized by Mid-Am for their consistent loyalty through more than a quarter-century of horticultural excellence:
| Bailey Nurseries, Inc. Bork Nurseries, Inc. Arthur Clesen, Inc. Dayton Bag & Burlap Co. Formart Containers, Inc. Forrest Keeling Nursery Great Western Bag Company Greenleaf Nursery Company Grootendorst Nurseries, Inc. D. Hill Nursery Co. Hines Horticulture, Ltd. |
Home Nursery, Inc. Horticultural Marketing & Printers, Ltd. Illinois Landscape Contractors Association |
Officers
President: Richard Harms, Countryside Flower Shop & Nursery
- Vice President: Barbara Rosborough, Rosborough Partners, Inc.
- Secretary: Bill Vogel, Spring Valley Turf Products
- Treasurer: Carsten Hoffmeyer, Hoffie Nursery
Directors
Steve Fiore, L.A., Rocco Fiore & Sons, Inc.
Terry Kurth, Weed Man Lawn Care
Jim Melka, Jim Melka Landscaping and Garden Center
Dave Story , Bartlett Tree Experts
Exhibitor Advisory Committee
Steve Ahrens, Best Block Co.
- Mark Allgaier, John Deere Co.
- Jim Bilinski, The American Plantsman
- Rich Eyre, Rich's Foxwillow Pines Nursery, Inc.
- John Hendle, Dayton Bag & Burlap
- John Lobacz, Russo Power Equipment
- Tom Steinmetz, Reinders
- Catalino Mendoza, Midwest Groundcovers LLC
- Liz Miller, Mariani Nursery
Show Management
The Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show is produced by The Sanford Organization, Inc.
Rand A. Baldwin, CAE, Managing Director
Suzanne Spohr, Show Manager
Deanna Hansen, On-Site Registration Manager
Nancy Molenda, Communications Manager
Kim Krok, Web Coordinator
Mid-Am 2009 Facts & Figures - Find out basic information about who attended the Mid-Am 2009 show.