This marked our 11th consecutive year as proud sponsors and exhibitors at this event, and our first since joining Species360 last December.

A big thank you to the APGA for their unwavering dedication in organising this exceptional conference. Additionally, we would like to thank Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden for graciously hosting this year’s event.

As ever, the conference proved to be an invaluable platform for connecting on multiple levels, spanning a wide array of garden management, public engagement, horticulture, plant curation, conservation, and educational topics.

Seeding innovation at our exhibit stand

Our exhibit created a vibrant atmosphere for attendees, who had the opportunity to try out Hortis on interactive devices and share their ideas on the future of collection management. The exhibit was a hub for insightful conversations and knowledge exchange on effective plant record-keeping practices.

Missed our workshop?

In addition to our exhibit, we also hosted a workshop entitled “Plant Record-Keeping Woes? Top Tips to Overcome Them”. Having immersed ourselves in the record-keeping community for nearly two decades, we have developed a good understanding of the challenges that gardens face when it comes to maintaining accurate plant records.

However, the conference, the exhibit and workshop were also a great opportunity to learn more about the challenges the community is struggling with.

For those of you who may have missed it, we are happy to let you know that you can re-watch the recording here:

Our aim in this session was to offer practical solutions with case-studies around the world, as well as share some of the ways we are tackling these challenges in Hortis.

During our workshop, we also took the opportunity to gauge the satisfaction levels of attendees regarding the status of their plant records. Out of the participants who took part, a staggering 73% were not satisfied with the status of their plant records.

This revelation further reinforced the importance of our workshop on addressing the challenges faced in this critical aspect of collection management. It highlighted the pressing need for effective solutions at a global level, and innovative approaches to overcome the hurdles hindering gardens from achieving up-to-date and accurate plant records.

Thank you for your inspiring contributions

As a team, we are committed to continuous product evolution, constantly refining and enhancing Hortis based on feedback from the community. Being cloud-based empowers us to accelerate the rate of software development, providing the botanic gardens community with faster and more efficient and hassle free updates compared to traditional on-premise systems.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the engaged plant records community. Your enthusiasm, participation, and discussions have been instrumental in shaping our understanding of your needs and aspirations.

The plant records community is a wonderful group of individuals, fueling our commitment to shape the future of plant records. If you’d like to keep in the loop or speak further about how we may be able to help you, subscribe to our newsletter or book an appointment with us directly here.

We look forward to continuing the discussions together.