The Fresh Produce & Floral Council’s Northern California Expo is set for April 9 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA.

The theme of the expo is “Connect and Grow.” Anticipated attendance is over 1,500 professionals from across all sectors of the fresh produce and floral industry, Carissa Mace, FPFC president, said.

Monrovia, headquartered in Azusa, CA, a leading U.S. flower grower of premium garden plants, announced through a press release that it has acquired Connecticut-based Imperial Nurseries.

Monrovia already has growing operations in Visalia, CA, Dayton, OR, and Cairo, GA. This acquisition will boost total plant production by 15 percent.

“This change will strengthen the sales, production and distribution capabilities of the combined company,” Miles Rosedale, chief executive officer of Monrovia, said in the release.

The Seeley Summit is scheduled for June 22-24, in Lisle, IL, a western Chicago suburb. The topic is “Water: Horticulture’s Next Game Changer?”

The board of Cornell University’s Seeley Conference believes that water availability will be among the greatest challenges facing the floriculture industry in coming years, a news release stated..

Seeley Summits are intended to promote discussion of issues important to commercial floriculture. Attendees are limited to 100 and will interact on relevant issues with water experts and industry leaders.

The 2014 International Floriculture Expo, Fresh Ideas in Bloom, moves to the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, June 10-13. For the past five years the expo has been held in Miami Beach, FL.

IFE is a leading U.S. trade event for people from every aspect of the floriculture industry to come together annually to focus on floral education, resources, and connections, according to a news release. The four-day expo includes one education day and three days of exhibits, design demonstrations and other events.

The education program on June 10 includes:

The mission of the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association is to provide networking, business opportunities and education to wholesale distributors and their floral suppliers. To support this mission, WF&FSA’s Education Committee’s goal is to develop programs for members to network, do commerce and learn by facilitating participation. In mid-March, the committee met to map out the 2014 educational plan for the association, according to a news release.

AmericanHort announced in a press release that its annual convention and trade show has been renamed Cultivate —An AmericanHort Experience.

Formerly known as OFA Short Course, Cultivate ‘14 offers educational and networking experiences, and more than seven acres of trade show exhibits including technology, new products and services, and new plant varieties, according eto the relase.

This year also sees an expansion of products and services for retailers, nursery production and landscaping. Thousands of attendees from more than 20 countries are expected this year.