Events
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2026 CNLA Winter Symposium
CNLA Winter Symposium
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Aqua Turf Club
556 Mulberry St.
Plantsville, CT
Registration is officially open for the CNLA 2026 Winter Symposium, taking place Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at The Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT! This annual, full-day event brings together professionals from every corner of the green industry for education, an all-day tradeshow, networking, annual meetings, and more.
This year’s program once again features three dedicated educational tracks—for Landscapers, Growers, and Garden Centers—allowing you to customize your day based on your business needs. We’re also excited to share that live Spanish translation will be available for every education session.
Event Highlights
- Full day of programming with expert-led sessions
- Three education tracks: Landscapers, Growers, Garden Centers
- Live Spanish translation for all sessions
- 4 Pesticide Credits available
- CNLA & CNF Annual Meetings
- CCH Recipient Recognition
- Plant ID Contest
- Breakfast, lunch, exhibitor breaks, and raffle
- All-day tradeshow featuring top industry vendors
Schedule*
Click image for PDF Download
*Subject to Change
Attendee Registration: Download the registration form here or register online here.
Exhibitor Registration: Download the registration form here or register online here.
The Winter Symposium is Connecticut’s top horticultural industry event! This is a great opportunity for Exhibitors to meet CNLA members, network with other exhibitors, attend educational programs, and demonstrate new products.
Keynote Speaker – Kathryn Dager
Leadership’s Role in Cultivating a Positive Change
Culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built, reinforced, and modeled by leadership.
Yet too many leaders are stuck in their own agenda, focusing on metrics, reports, and daily fire drills—while their culture shapes itself… often in the wrong direction.
The truth? Leaders have more influence over culture than they realize. They set the tone every day—through:
• What they recognize.
• What they ignore.
• What they tolerate.
• What they reinforce.
And right now, many leaders aren’t consciously and actively cultivating a positive culture.
Here’s the reality: If you don’t cultivate culture intentionally, a toxic culture will grow by default.
• Without leadership reinforcement:
• Employees feel unseen, unappreciated, and disengaged.
• Negative behaviors go unchecked and become the norm.
• Emerging leaders never get developed, creating future talent gaps.
• The biggest leadership mistake? Thinking culture is HR’s job. It’s not.
Culture is a leadership function. It’s built through daily interactions, feedback, and reinforcement.
It’s time for leaders to step into their true role—as the architects of culture.
Current Exhibitors
(as of 1/14/26)
American National Insurance
American National Property and Casualty Co.
Ball Horticultural Company
Botaniworld, LLC (SoilWand)
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Connecticut Farm Bureau
Connecticut Mulch Distributors, Inc.
Connecticut Nursrymen’s Foundation
Deer Guys
East Coast Nurseries
Green Envy Products, LLC
Griffin Greenhouse Supplies
H.O. Penn Machinery Company, Inc.
Helena Agriculture
Henry F. Michell Co.
Ideal Block
Integrity Merchant Solutions
The Lyman Agency, Farm Family Insurance
Lynx Associates
M&H Equipment
Medford Nursery
Milwaukee Tool
Mycorrhizal Applications
MyCTSavings, Office of the State Comptroller
Northern Nurseries
Petitti Family Farms
Planters’ Choice Nursery
Prides Corner Farms, Inc
Quonset Soil Solutions, LLC
Rimol Greenhouse Systems
Shade Trees Nursery, Inc.
SHS Distributors
SiteOne Landscape Supply
STIHL
Summer Hill Nursery, Inc
Syngenta Professional Solutions
Texpak, Inc
Trailside Nursery, LLC
Trimmaster Pro
UConn Extension
USDA/APHIS/PPQ
US Department of Labor/OSHA
USDOL/Wage and Hour Division
