Fees - Annual Conference 2026: Inspiring Innovation

Every year, our Association brings together hundreds of garden professionals to share, learn, and grow with each other at our Annual Conference.

Planning for the Annual Conference is a meticulous, multi-year process involving intensive staff and volunteer effort and company resources. Onsite expenses total over $900,000 each year and include (but are certainly not limited to) hotel fees, audio/visual service, food and beverage, transportation, and printing. Registration fees cover just two-thirds of these costs, with our generous Sponsors and Exhibitors providing support for the remaining costs.

We know the cost of attending the Conference can be a challenge for some of our members, and this barrier means that we may not hear important voices and learn from different experiences. The Association is committed to making the Annual Conference affordable by seeking opportunities to lower costs and by increasing available Garden Scholar funds to provide attendance assistance.

Members like you have helped to send more than 70 Garden Scholars to the Annual Conference in the past five years, joining awardees of named scholarships provided by BHS Insurance, the IDEA Center for Public Gardens, Longwood Gardens, and others.

With ongoing support from our members, we hope to provide 8 Garden Scholar awards for the 2026 Annual Conference. To learn more and support our Garden Scholars program visit our website and promote the inclusion of more voices at our Conference.

Your registration fee includes access to educational and networking sessions, our Exhibit Hall, daily lunches, receptions that occur at the main Conference hotel, and light morning snacks. This fee does not include tickets to workshops, tours, and offsite receptions due to the additional cost required to offer these events. Guests of Conference registrants may register to attend tours and receptions for an additional fee.

That said, we will not be offering a full breakfast this year. Instead, each morning, we will offer a light snack and coffee to start your day. If you need something more substantial, we encourage you to take advantage of what the hotel offers onsite and/or support the local businesses nearby. This was a difficult decision driven by increasing food and beverage costs at the Conference hotel. In order to avoid passing those costs on to our Attendees, while also maintaining a level of quality we all expect from our events, we elected to forgo providing full breakfasts this year. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your flexibility and understanding.

Lastly, please note that while in-conference lunches and receptions are included in your registration, we require you to register for these events to assist us in appropriately planning for space and meals.

Refund schedule:

Open - Early Bird (4/10/26): The Association will refund 75% of registration fees.
4/11/26 - 5/15/26: The Association will refund 50% of registration fees.
After 5/15/26: There are NO REFUNDS for cancellations, no-shows, or unused function tickets, including illness-related cancellations.

Please note that the above cancellation policies do not pertain to the optional garden dinners, tours and workshops, which may be cancelled for a full refund up until May 15, 2026. However, no refunds for these events will be given after May 15.

Should unforeseen circumstances lead to the cancellation of the conference or individual conference events, the Association will contact registrants to offer transferrable registrations, refunds, or donation options.

Please direct all questions regarding refunds to info@publicgardens.org.

The health and safety of event attendees is of utmost importance to the Association. The Association will follow the recommended guidelines set by the CDC and the host state, county, and city of any Association event. All attendees are encouraged to maintain good health practices including appropriate hand washing.

Large gatherings of individuals, especially from disparate regions or countries, come with an increased risk of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, flu, measles, etc. Attending large gatherings, such as this event, increases your chance of being exposed to respiratory viruses. If you have concerns, please discuss your attendance and any necessary precautions with a healthcare provider

The Association reserves the right to increase or lessen restrictions at any point for any event to protect attendees and to comply with federal, state, or local requirements. By registering for an Association event, you agree to honor and abide by any policy changes. Any health and safety policy changes will be communicated as promptly as possible.