Thousands of industry members participated in the 2020 Almond Conference put on by the Almond Board of California (ABC) in early December. ABC Specialist of Industry Relations, Rebecca Bailey said that the industry was excited to congregate in person once again. The excitement for the event’s return to the newly renovated SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento was clearly evident in the number of registrations.
“We had just over 3,300 attendees. Then of those attendees, we had about 884 growers/handlers,” Bailey explained. “That number is always so important to us because that’s truly who this conference is for. Then aside from that, we did have about 25 countries represented on-site and 37 states as well. So, all in all, attendance was great, and we had a great representation from across the state, the country, and around the globe.”
The 2021 Almond Conference included a substantial trade show that provided an opportunity for industry members to learn about some of the latest products on the market. Bailey explained that this year’s conference had the largest trade show they have ever had, with an additional 11,000 square feet of space compared to previous years. The renovations at the convention center will also provide ample room for the exhibit hall to grow in the future.
The main pillar of the Almond Conference is the amount of educational content available to attendees. Four concurrent tracks ran throughout the duration of the event, with a variety of researchers, ABC personnel, and other experts discussing a multitude of topics.
“We ended up having 25 sessions and that’s including our breakout sessions and our general sessions as well. So, altogether that put us at nearly 90 speakers throughout the three days,” said Bailey. “Content ranged from everything from navel orangeworm and mating disruption to what the water outlook is looking like in California throughout the growing regions.”
ABC will be making the educational sessions available online.
Listen to Bailey’s interview below.
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