This year’s annual Water Garden Expo sponsored by Pondliner was held in Shawnee, Oklahoma, from March 1-3, 2023. It was a bit different this year, for the Expo was held in the conference rooms at the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort, which is where our accommodations were.
There was a really good turnout this year, and people came from all over the United States and beyond.
The motto was “Learn, Network and Re-Energize,” and it really did hit the mark. Wednesday featured an all-day sales boot camp led by Paul Amos and Joe Holz. On Thursday and Friday, we had our choice of speakers and sessions, with topics such as recreational ponds, how to get new leads, EPDM training, filtration systems, large construction projects and much more.
On both days, attendees had booths to cruise around and peruse. It’s a good way to learn about new products and have helpful discussions with representatives from across the industry. It’s always a pleasure to see many of you stop at the POND Trade booth and chat!
My personal highlight was presenting the Water Artisans of the Year awards on Thursday morning. It was nice to have three out of six judges in attendance. Chad Smith, Larry Carnes and Tim Wood got up front with me and voiced their thoughts on the whole judging process as well as some good tips for next year’s contestants.
A big part of Water Garden Expo is the networking. Many valuable conversations are shared about all things pond related.
Be sure to put the Water Garden Expo on your list of places to go next year. It’s the place to be!
