Pittsburgh will have an unprecedented opportunity to show off its green self when the Garden Writers Association (GWA) descends on our fair city for its annual symposium in 2014.
Schenley Plaza Garden in Summer
I was first made aware of this national group in 2007 while working as the director of marketing at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The GWA is comprised of garden professionals including book authors, staff editors, syndicated columnists, free-lance writers, photographers, landscape designers, television and radio personalities, consultants, catalog publishers, and others interested in advancing communications about horticulture, gardening and the environment.
The annual gathering was in Oklahoma City in 2007 and I attended with Jessica Romano, Phipps’ marketing communications coordinator (and now the Parks Conservancy’s marketing manager). Since 2007 the Symposium has been held in Portland, Raleigh, Dallas, and Indianapolis, putting Pittsburgh in good company.
A typical GWA symposium lasts three full days, but is bookended with story tours, special interest seminars, and photography junkets. When the Pittsburgh-based GWA members first met about the opportunity to host the symposium, the concern was coming up with enough locations and activities to keep 500-600 garden professionals engaged. After a couple meetings, it became clear to us that our real problem would be narrowing the options, so the application proceeded with a positive outcome.
Panther Hollow Lake
Not only will the GWA Symposium benefit Pittsburgh economically as all national conventions do, but the long-term positive impact of hosting hundreds of professional communicators and showing off our City’s love and appreciation of horticulture and the environment is immeasurable.
For our part, the Parks Conservancy is looking forward to showing off the fragile diversity of the Panther Hollow Watershed, the popularity of Schenley Plaza, a restored Mellon Square, a rebuilt Environmental Education Center, and other park features that make Pittsburgh unique, green, and a fantastic place to live and work.
Michael Sexauer is Director of Advancement for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
