Organizing a Master Gardener Expo

By Wanda Fuller, Hall County Master Gardener

As next year’s president of Hall County Master Gardeners, Julie Auten feels the need to know as many aspects of this nonprofit as possible. Taking the lead responsibility for organizing the Fall Garden Expo was the logical next step toward her goal. Working with her are twenty-three experienced chairs, each with a co-chair, over different aspects of the event: Technology, Garden Carts, Traffic Control, Arena Setup, Hospitality, Ticket Sales, Publicity, Plant Holding Area, Admissions & Parking, Announcements, Arena Decorations, Ask a Master Gardener Booth, Barista & Food Trucks, Banners & Signs, Finance, Publicity & Speakers, Lunch, Medical, Social Media, Soil, Vendor Check-in, Load-in/Load-out, and Website.

Julie Auten notes, “Good people are in place. My role is to let them do their job, not manage them, but rather, communicate with them. I try to offer options to overcome recognized problems, but the final decisions are theirs to make. People need their opinion to matter on how to best accomplish their tasks. Micromanaging is never appreciated.”

Each chair and co-chair is encouraged to mentor a recent graduate of Master Gardener training. In this way, new talent is brought in and empowered to carry the tradition forward. New people with fresh ideas ensure the Garden Expo will continue to improve and evolve as challenges arise.

“We’ve always done it this way” is not an expression heard at the Garden Expo.

Started in the spring of 2003, twenty-four years of experience have gone into making this biannual event the success it is today. Upon accepting the job of organizing the Fall 2026 Garden Expo, Julie was gifted by Mindy Wade and Karin Hicks, Chairs of the Spring 2026 Garden Expo, five overfilled notebooks authored by the last five chairs. These notebooks are current with to-do lists, notes on challenging situations from past events, suggestions for future vendors, and a wealth of information on essential details to oversee.

Past cancellations due to COVID and hurricane warnings left an information gap that Past Chair Lori Thomas corrected with fresh information before passing the baton to the next chairs. Lori also worked to enhance the Garden Expo’s presence on social media.

Five notebooks of important details to wade through! Five!

Attention to details. The devil is in the details as is the success of the Garden Expo. It matters which of the sixty-two booths have electricity, which are centrally located, what meals will be served during setup. It matters that prospective new vendors offer products that meet the event’s mission. It matters that acceptance letters are sent in a timely manner. It matters that tires are properly inflated in fifty carts retrieved from six months storage.

Mindy Wade has chaired or co-chaired the Garden Expo eight times and would do it again! She says, “It’s rewarding to bring in new vendors and witness shoppers delighted with the beauties they’ve found. Master Gardeners not only love plants, but they also have volunteer spirits. Jump in! Get to know the event inside and out. Committee chairs know their jobs. Past chairs are willing to help.”

Julie’s biggest surprise has been how easy it is. Past Chairs Mindy Wade, Karin Hicks, Lori Thomas and others readily offered answers to a few things not found in the notebooks. Not being given to procrastination helps as she inches her way through the bulging notebooks to finalize each possible detail.

Julie’s worst nightmare is a weather event that would necessitate closing the Fall Garden Expo, as happened a few years ago. Her second worst nightmare is that with nine new vendors this fall, booth space may not be available for all at next spring’s larger event. Fifty-eight of the sixty-two booths are reserved for the Fall Garden Expo. She hopes vendors don’t assume space will be available. No matter how many years they’ve exhibited at the Garden Expo, registration long in advance of the event has become necessary. High demand is a measure of success. Vendors don’t want to miss exhibiting at the Hall County Master Garden Expo.

What does it take? Years of experience, close attention to details, and hundreds of volunteers working together with a common goal of hosting a fun, safe, educational event. Come witness this strong community spirit September 25 and 26 at Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center.