By Sally Harvey CLT, CLP
Education and Labour Development Department

Landscape Ontario team members take your success seriously.  An example of that is the conference and symposium line-up at Congress 2010. The focus this year is on the Prosperity Partners program, which is built on pillars of business professionalism that includes:

• Sales success
• Financial health
• Developing customers for life
• Professional operations
• Leadership excellence
• Technical expertise

Thirty-two seminars and a jam-packed Warm-Up Monday promise to be a motivating and educational experience for all attendees from January 11 to 14, at the Toronto Congress Centre.

Warm-Up Monday is a day full of pre-conference symposia, education and social programs, such as the landscape designer conference, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) symposium, the irrigation symposium, Certified Landscape Professional seminar on corporate financial management and Prosperity Partners energy workshop.

Also on Monday, Congress 2010 will host, for the first time, the Ontario Parks Association’s 54th Annual Education Forum. The exceptional program of OPA’s forum is tailored to the professional development needs of both senior parks and public space management and operational staff. Sessions offer opportunities to learn and share best practices and expertise and exchange ideas.

Congress 2010 is a great place to discover hundreds of new products, see the latest ideas and technology for design, construction, parks and maintenance, and to attend numerous workshops and network with industry experts and professional peers from all sectors.

Seminar opportunities offered have something for all audiences. I encourage employers and employees to review the conference guide today, and start planning to ensure you balance your time between the trade show and the conferences. Don’t forget to look over your performance reviews from the past year to ensure each staff member attends seminars or symposia that will help fill the gaps in your business. The four days will be filled with learning opportunities aimed at technical staff, supervisors and foremen, managers and owners.

Make sure you include in your agenda, the Awards of Excellence ceremony, even if you did not enter any projects. The inspiration that you will take away from those visuals is huge. For award recipients, what better way to reward and motivate your staff than by allowing them to be presented with their awards? And there is the marketing potential that these awards provide for years to come.

Make sure you attend the AGM on Wed., Jan. 13. Learn about the performance and leaders of this great association and become informed on how you might become involved. There are many learning opportunities that are available from the peer-to-peer networking that comes with volunteering. It is second to none. My years spent volunteering with LO on the provincial board, the interiorscape sector group and the various committees, helped us take our business to a more professional and prosperous level.

Another way to become involved and network with members is to volunteer at Congress. Each year, we celebrate Congress’s success, due to the hard work of our show committee and our dedicated volunteers. Volunteers can help by greeting visitors, scanning conference room passes, handing out surveys and introducing speakers. Volunteers who work more than four hours receive a three-day conference admission pass for the following year’s Congress.

To register as a volunteer, go to www.locongress.com, and click on the volunteers opportunities tab.

Our team looks forward to Congress, where we will create another engaging learning environment that offers prosperity development opportunities to our valued members. I hope to see you there!
 

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Certification has a new look

Certified individuals in Ontario and across North America alike will now proudly call themselves Landscape Industry Certified, beginning January 2010!

Landscape Industry Certified speaks very clearly to the end user. No longer will you have to go into lengthy explanations about the definition of the acronyms CLP, CHT, CLD, etc. that are behind your name. The simple recognition of Landscape Industry Certified will speak volumes to your clients and prospects.

This new brand will be consistent and recognized across North America, where in the past there were different logos for the same certifications both sides of the border. The message we intend to communicate to the world outside the industry is that the certified individual or company has met a rigorous national standard.. See the new logo, below.


 

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Sally Harvey may be reached by email at sharvey@landscapeontario.com