Time to Reflect and Connect: APLD Conference 2022

By Emma Lam, APLD Virtual Chapter Member and Marketing Committee Chair

Professional conferences were something I never really gave much thought to in the past. Landscape design is my second career. And since my first career was as a freelance performing artist, there really wasn’t such a “thing” as a professional actor’s conference for me to attend!

Even when I did learn about the APLD Conference, I thought “this isn’t for me… this must be for really successful designers/ landscapers…”. However, after winning a Bronze Award for one of our Design/Builds in 2019, I nervously decided to attend that year’s conference. I had no idea how much I would learn at the event, nor how much fun I would have.

As everyone seems to say, the sessions and garden tours are phenomenal and inspiring. But for me, it is the one-on-one time with like-minded people that I get the most out of. Meeting up with peers that “speak the same language” as me is so validating and supportive. The designers and landscapers that attend the conferences come from all over the country and in some cases, they even come from abroad. I believe the first year I attended a conference, a couple of people came all the way from Saudi Arabia!

It is so eye opening and educational to talk with designers who work in different climates and environments, but it is also great to meet people who work in comparable spaces. A Small Green Space (my company) only works on small urban spaces in the NYC metro area. So comparing notes with designers who work on similar “spaces” in LA or Toronto or Boston or DC or Philly is an amazing resource. And having the phone numbers of some of those designers has been invaluable for me.

Last year, we finally convinced some of our clients to start considering black fencing. Without the support (via text and Instagram) of a very talented Philadelphia designer I had met in Toronto, I don’t think I would have been brave enough to make it happen. Additionally, I cherish the close friendships I have made while at the conferences. I have met up with other designers while attending the Philly Flower Show and text several other designers pretty regularly. Following the Seattle conference, two New Jersey designers made the trip to my hometown of Jersey City to hang out and we all had a blast.

MY FIRST CONFERENCES

My first conference was in Toronto, where I discovered how similar Toronto’s city spaces (and environment as a whole) are to ours in the NYC metro area. Amongst other things, we visited multiple rooftop spaces and compact city row house gardens. I was also excited to explore a city I had never been to. I was energized by the vibrant art scene and nightlife, the quaint local shops, and delicious food I discovered there.

My second conference was in Seattle, a place I had always wanted to go to and a place whose people and gardens I fell in love with. Although Seattle’s climate and gardens had little in common with the spaces I work on, I was inspired by everything I saw. Everything was SO green! Strangely we had zero rain the 5 days I was there, which the West Coasters assured me was extremely lucky and highly unusual. I also learned some fascinating facts. According to one Seattle designer I met, they do not have mosquitos! No wonder so many of my Jersey friends move there.

THE PANDEMIC CONFERENCES

And then Covid hit…

As a result of all the shutdowns and quarantining, the conference went virtual. I attended the first virtual conference and was blown away by the quality of the speakers, the garden tours, and the conference as a whole. But boy did I miss seeing people in person! More frustrating was the fact that I found myself only “halfway” committed to the conference as it was too easy to be distracted away from the screen. I skipped the second virtual conference for this reason.

CHICAGO

During the Seattle conference, I had heard that Chicago was the next conference destination. At that time, I considered skipping Chicago as I knew it would at a time in the year when it is difficult for me to leave town due to work. Also, I have been to Chicago quite a few times and didn’t feel quite the same excitement about going to a city I already knew. But due to the claustrophobia I experienced during the pandemic, as soon as Chicago 2022 was announced, I signed up! I was so happy at the thought of reconnecting (IN PERSON) with all the APLD folks and frankly I wanted to get away from my screen and back out in the field.

I will start by saying that I did not attend the pre and post conference (although I always had done so in the past). This decision was made mostly due to the amount of time I felt I could be away from home and my business. That said, I heard both days were fantastic, especially the post conference.

I tend to stay at the conference hotel as I prefer to be closer to the action (and I am NOT a morning person by any stretch of the imagination)! Each conference hotel I have stayed in has been great, and this one was too. It was comfortable, conveniently located, with a lovely pool and small lobby bar (an essential in my book)!

The first question that I asked when I went to sign in was how many people had signed up for the conference, and I was a bit worried to hear that it was quite a small group compared to the previous years I had attended. In fact, I believe we only just made the number that we required in order to make the conference viable for APLD. Quite a few of the friends I had made in previous years were not at the Chicago conference and I worried that this would mean that the conference, and my experience at it, would be lacking in some way. But, boy was I wrong! I made lots of new friends and was able to have more one-on-one time with many of them.

I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that quite a few first-time attendees, as well as students and younger professionals, were in attendance. I believe another APLD member may have commented that they felt a smaller group might have been a bit less intimidating for some of our younger newcomers. Regardless, I thought it was great to have this fresh and enthusiastic energy within our group. Of course, it was also wonderful to see “the usual suspects” and smile at so many faces that I hadn’t seen in person for years (and to get some real life “hugs” too)!

SESSIONS

The sessions and speakers were varied and impressive. One of my favorite sessions was given by APLD member, Margie Grace. Her enthusiastic positive energy is truly infectious and her body of work (we were blessed enough to view as part of her gorgeous presentation) is truly magical. Giacomo Guzzon was another speaker that I greatly enjoyed listening to. His plant and design knowledge and his positive attitude during his talk were really inspiring.

As with previous years, some of the APLD sponsors were at the conference and had set up information tables within the conference room space so that we were able to peruse their materials during our breaks.

The Field Museum, Chicago. Photo by Viktoria Prudnikova.

GARDEN TOURS

The two days of garden tours, as always, were a treat. Although the Chicago private gardens were not the type of spaces that I personally work on (they were more sprawling suburban spaces than small urban plots) I still loved seeing and hearing about the work and found inspiration everywhere. Whether it was an outdoor ornament, color choices, a specific plant, or a hardscape element, there was, as always, so much for the eyes to feast on!

During the garden tours we also went to several public spaces and as these were mostly in the heart of Chicago and ‘urban centric’, I really got excited to see, learn about, walk around, and experience them. From the flowing, naturalist horticultural art form that is the Lurie Garden in Millennium Park; to the native plantings surrounding The Field Museum; to the hidden quietude of Shakespeare’s Garden at Northwestern University; to the awe-inspiring Chicago Botanic Garden and beyond, my creative juices were shaken awake!

Every conference I have attended has been run with so much care and forethought. The local volunteers, the APLD Staff, and the APLD Board (and beyond) work SO hard to make sure everyone has a good experience. And there is literally ‘something for everyone”. Each time I attend I am astonished by the amount of work and care that obviously goes into the planning and execution of the event. From meal choices for most (even this picky pescatarian/ gluten free gal) to the entry into some super special (and hard to get invited to) venues. A perfect example of this was when in Seattle somehow, someone set up a gala for us in Amazon’s Seattle Spheres! Which by the way was AMAZING! When we were in Toronto we went to a vineyard and had a boat tour to Niagara Falls. Chicago was no exception. Our farewell event was held on one of the top floors of the Willis Tower (AKA Sears Tower) with panoramic city views from the floor to ceiling glass walls. To make the event even more spectacular, our very generous association had an open bar waiting for us!

All in all I am so glad that I attended the conference in Chicago. It reminded me why it is so important to take time to reflect and connect with what we do. For me, at least, it reminds me how lucky I am to love what I do and it challenges me to ‘reset’ and rediscover my passion and inspiration. This is why I plan to attend as many APLD conferences as I can in the years to come. And this is also why I encourage other designers and landscapers to do the same.

See you at the 2023 conference!