CNGA LooseLeaf June/July 2019

colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf  June/July 2019 4 CNGA—  HERE FOR THE MEMBERS By Allison Gault, MBA, CAE CNGA Executive Director Summer Events, Plant Something & News Center Plans Happy summer! Over the last couple months, while everyone was busy with the spring rush, we were preparing for the majority of CNGA’s 2019 events. Our series of BBQs kick off on July 25 at the Tree Farm in Longmont. We’re looking forward to catching up with you and hearing how your season has been. Be sure to check out the calendar section for the dates of the other four BBQs, Women in Hort, the CHREF Golf Tournament, and Horticulture Leadership Retreat. In addition to our events, Plant Something Colorado has been in full swing for about a month. We’ve seen great results this year and are looking forward to being at the Taste of Fort Collins on June 7 to 9 with about 50,000 of our closest friends! In the past four years, we’ve seen this campaign blossom and grow. We are adding live “ask the expert videos,” have a new website with a blog feature, and are rapidly approaching 5,000 social media followers. If you’re not following us on Facebook and Instagram, you’re missing out. Search for @PlantColorado and like/follow us. We’ve also been working on a plan for the future of our member magazine, LooseLeaf. Since the magazine is consistently rated as a top member benefit, we want to continue offering the best possible content and utilize our membership’s dollars in the most cost-effective manner. However, over the past 10 years, we’ve seen advertising revenue drop by 50%, and year after year, it continues to decline. Advertising revenue is the only revenue supporting the publication of the magazine, so we cover part of the cost with dues and event income. Unfortunately, print advertising as a whole has diminished not only in our industry publications, but in most other publications across all sectors. Receiving news in a digital version is the future, and we’re happy to announce that we’re jumping on board. We’re working on a new “CNGA News Center” that will feature the LooseLeaf articles in a digital format. The News Center will be searchable so you don’t have to rifle through past issues to find an article, it will help our Search Engine Optimization (SEO) moving CNGA up in internet visitor searches, and will allow for digital advertising. We are working on the News Center now and will have a preview ready soon so you can check it out and provide feedback. We know this will be a big change, which is why we’re continuing to publish the print version of LooseLeaf through the December 2019/January 2020 issue. ADVERTISING RATES STARTING AT $600! Advertise in LooseLeaf! Advertising in the CNGA magazine reaches horticulture professionals far beyond the borders of Colorado — our membership base represents 32 states. If your company serves the green industry in the Rocky Mountain region, this publication provides a niche marketing opportunity. ISSUE Aug/Sept ‘19 AD DEADLINE June 28