Upcoming Conferences & Events:

• European Greenhouse Study Tour 2009
• 2009 National Industry Conference of the Australian Hydroponic and Greenhouse Association

Past Event Reports:

• 2007 National Industry Conference of the AHGA Video Report
• 2007 European Greenhouse Study Tour
• 2006 Greenhouse Study Tour Canada
• 2006 Greenhouse Vegetable Study Tour Holland

The 2009 National Conference of the Australian Hydroponics & Greenhouse Industry to be held at the Sydney Showgrounds from 19–22 July 2009 will undoubtedly be the largest industry conference and trade exhibition of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region for 2009. The Conference and Exhibition is expected to attract 400–450 commercial growers and allied industry delegates from around Australia, New Zealand, throughout Asia, and elsewhere in the world. The large, fully integrated trade exhibition will provide a unique opportunity for businesses associated with commercial hydroponic and greenhouse crop production to showcase their products. The Conference and Exhibition will provide sponsors the chance to forge closer links with commercial growers and industry specialists.

Hydroponics is the production of crops in isolation from the soil, either with or without a medium, with their total water and nutrient requirements supplied by the system. Production takes place either in a greenhouse or outdoors and systems can recirculate or allow nutrients to ‘free drain’ for reuse on other crops (eg. trees, pasture improvement, etc). The industry is highly efficient in its use of inputs including water, fertilisers, labour, land and energy. Hydroponics and greenhouse have emerged as commercial alternatives to soil-based production. Significant crops include tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum, lettuce, strawberries, Mediterranean and Asian herbs, and cut flowers such as roses, gerberas, carnations, lisianthus and Asiatic and Oriental lilies. Successful commercial production is undertaken by corporates with investors who are not active in day-to-day management and by families producing for boutique markets, as part of a larger growing and marketing cooperative and by corporates with investors who are not active in day-to-day management. The industry is capital intensive and capital costs are anywhere between $100 and $300 plus per square metre (m²), depending on the sophistication of the greenhouse and the level of equipment being included. Viable production units are a minimum of 1,500m². Commercial success is linked to:

• Establishment of the venture in a realistic economic framework;
• Attention to market requirements before production commences;
• Realistic expectation of price, yield and labour requirements;
• Experience in horticultural production prior to entry into hydroponics; and
• Undertaking further improvements to knowledge through training.

Sydney, New South Wales
Sydney is one of the most multicultural cities in the world with people from 180 nations, speaking 140 languages.

With a population of 4 million, is a major Asia Pacific city. It is the capital city of New South Wales, the most densely populated State of Australia. On the south-east coast, it is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east, national parklands and coastline to the north and south, and the spectacular Blue Mountains to the west. Sydney experiences a year-round temperate climate.

Sydney's mean summer temperature is 24 degrees Celsius. Sydney's mean winter temperature is 12 degrees Celsius. Sydney boasts an average 342 days of sunshine a year; the average rainfall is 1216mm, heaviest between February and July.

Dress
Dress throughout the conference is neat casual. Dress for each function is indicated in the function description.

Privacy and Delegate List
Conference Design Pty Ltd will gather and record personal information necessary for your attendance at the Conference. Personal information will be gathered, stored and disseminated in accordance with the National Privacy Principles.

Delegate List
A delegate list with name, organisation, suburb, state, country and email address will be supplied to all Conference attendees including exhibitors and sponsors. Please email Conference Design if you do not wish to have your details included on the delegate list.

Photocopying at the Conference
There are no photocopying facilities at the conference venue, so please ensure your bring a sufficient number of any handouts.

Smoking
The conference and social functions are non-smoking.

Name Badges
Name badges will be issued when registering at the conference. For security purposes the conference name badge must be worn at all times during the conference and social functions.

Baby Sitting
Please contact your chosen hotel to arrange a baby-sitting service. If you have any queries please contact Conference Design.

Accommodation Accounts
All accommodation accounts must be settled on check-out. The organising committee and Conference Design will not be responsible for
accommodation accounts.

For all enquiries please contact the team at Conference Design for assistance.

Conference Design Pty Ltd
228 Liverpool Street
Hobart Tasmania 7000
Australia

Email:	info@cdesign.com.au
Web:	www.cdesign.com.au
Telephone:	03 6231 2999
Facsimile:	03 6231 1522
International
Telephone:	+61 3 6231 2999
Facsimile:	+61 3 6231 1522

Sunday 19 July 2009

• Registration open. Trade Exhibition set-up & public viewing
• Welcome Reception, AHGA AGM

Monday 20 July 2009

• Opening Plenary Session
• Concurrent Sessions for Lectures
• Industry Workshops
• Trade Exhibition

Tuesday 21 July 2009

• Concurrent Sessions for Lectures
• Industry Workshops
• Trade Exhibition
• Conference Banquet Dinner

Wednesday 22 July 2009

• Tours of high-tech greenhouses, floriculture & vegetable, soilless farms and R & D facilities.

The Sydney Showground is operated by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) on the basis of a 99-year lease (with a further 99-year option) with the NSW Government. The RAS is a not for profit organisation formed in 1822 to raise the standards of agriculture in NSW and Australia. Today, the RAS continues to support and promote agricultural excellence and innovation through events, competition and education.

• Over 30 hectares, 20 pavilions and 100,000sqm of space for hire
• The Dome and Exhibition Halls 2,3,4 offer 22,000sqm of clear span space
• Multi-award winning in-house catering
• Maximum capacity cocktail function in The Dome 6,000
• Maximum capacity conference in The Dome 5,000
• Home of the Sydney Royal Easter Show – the largest event in the Southern Hemisphere
• Average 1.5 million visitors per annum
• Easy direct transport access to all pavilions
• 30 mins from CBD

Parking is easy with 10,000 car parking spaces available at Sydney Olympic Park.
Two hour free parking is located on Showground Road, Grand Parade, Olympic Boulevard and Dawn Fraser Avenue.

Getting to Parking

Click here to view the Sydney Showground Site Map.
Click here to view the Sydney Olympic Park Parking and Driving Approach Map.
Click here to view the Sydney Olympic Park Precinct Map.

Cost

Casual parking is available for $3 per hour or $15 per day maximum. Please note certain major events at Sydney Olympic Park incur a flat fee of $15 for parking. Bring change for coin operated parking machines.

All rates are per room, per night and do not include breakfast unless otherwise specified. No booking will be confirmed without a credit card guarantee or a pre-payment.

Accommodation Guarantee
You will need to supply credit card details to guarantee the booking. Your credit card details will be forwarded to the hotel to secure your reservation. If you do not have a credit card you will need to pre-pay your accommodation to confirm the booking.

Accommodation Pre-Payment
You may pre-pay one room night or the total room cost. Please email and  how much you wish to pre-pay. You need to pay any incidental expenses incurred during your stay (for example, mini bar, telephone or dry cleaning) when checking out.

Accounts
All accommodation accounts must be settled on checkout. If you wish to receive an account you must organise this directly with your hotel before you arrive. Contact details for your nominated hotel will be supplied with your confirmation.

Accommodation Cancellation
Cancellations must be advised in writing to Conference Design at least 7 days prior to your arrival. Cancellations received within 7 days of arrival or 'no-shows' will attract a penalty of at least one night’s accommodation.

Hotels & Rates

All the following hotels are in the heart of the Sydney Olympic Park precinct, surrounded by 640 hectares of parklands with over 20 kilometres of walking tracks. Relax at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre pool and gym, unwind at the Golf Centre’s driving range or putt-putt course, book a court at the Sydney International Tennis Centre, try the Monster Skate Park, hire a bike to explore the parklands, try Archery or Trapeze, or relive your favourite sporting memories with an ANZ Stadium tour.

Pullman Hotel at Sydney Olympic Park 5 *
Superior room $275
Non-smoking hotel
The Pullman Hotel is an eco-friendly with solar hot water and power saving devices throughout the hotel. It offers restaurant, wine bar, fitness centre, broadband internet access, business centre. All rooms include an I-Pod docking station. Full breakfast buffet is available at $35 and parking is $35 per day.

Novotel Sydney Olympic Park 41/2 *
Standard room (Q + Sofa or 2D)        $215
Smoking rooms available.
The Novotel offers bars and restaurants, wireless/broadband internet access and in-house movies.  Full breakfast buffet is available at $25 and parking at $25 per day.

Ibis Hotel Sydney Olympic Park 31/2 *
Guest room     (Q or K Single) $149
Smoking rooms available
The Ibis is recently refurbished and has Internet access, blackout shutters, in-house movies. It is part of the Novotel & Ibis complex. A full buffet breakfast is available at $25.

Formule 1
King Zip          $119
Non-smoking hotel
The Formule 1 is a budget hotel. There is internet access available, television and radio, launderette and vending  machines. A  continental breakfast is available for $7 and there is limited parking at cost.

• Len Tesoriero
• Saskia Blanch
• Steven Carruthers
• Rick Donnan
• Steven Goodwin
• Sophie Parks
• Bettina Gollnow

Contact Information
If you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at the conference please contact Conference Design.

Ben Thiessen	ben@cdesign.com.au
Natalie Sproule	natalie@cdesign.com.au

Information for Exhibitors

Allocation of Booths
The Committee will allocate site positions after taking into account each organisation’s sponsorship, the date of confirmation of participation, preferences, proximity to competitors and any other relevant matters.

Exhibition Floor Plan
The Committee reserves the right to alter the floor plan.  See 'Downloads & Delivery Labels' on this page.

Booth Construction & Display Equipment
Moreton Hire will be supplying the booths:
Booth Size 3.0m x 2.0m
Walls 2.4m high velcro compatible panels, Fascia 30cm high velcro compatible fascia board, across aisle frontages
Signage one corflute sign (1800mm long x 200mm high) per booth.
Computer cut vinyl lettering (max. 26 characters)

Bump In:
Saturday 18 July
Set-up of booths: 1200
Set-up to be completed by: 1700

Bump Out:
Tuesday 21 July
Bump-out to be completed by: 1600
See the program for further details.

Delivery Labels for Display Equipment
The labels below MUST be used to send ALL booth equipment to the venue. Deliveries sent without these labels will not be accepted. You will also need to email Conference Design the courier, dispatch date and consignment number so we can provide the venue with a full delivery list BEFORE the conference.

See 'Downloads & Delivery Labels' on this page.

Registration for Company Representatives
A form must be completed for each company representative. All people attending the conference must register before the conference. A conference name badge will be required to access the exhibition area.

See 'Downloads & Delivery Labels' on this page.

Registration Fees

Day Registration
Day Registration (Monday)	tba
Day Registration (Tuesday)	tba
Full Registration
Member Registration	tba
Non-Member Registration	tba
Student Registration	tba

Social Events
The Welcome and the Dinner are included in the Full Registrations (Member, Non-Member, Student, Complimentary). The farm tour is an additional event and is not included in the registration fee. Day Registration does not include any functions or the farm tour.

Sunday 19 July
Welcome Reception (Inclusive for full delegates)
Additional tickets: tba

Tuesday 21 July
Conference Banquet Dinner (Inclusive for full delegates)
Additional tickets: tba

Wednesday 22 July
Farm Tour (optional event)
Tickets: tba

Payments
All payments must be received prior to the Conference.  If payment from your organisation is not received prior to the Conference you will be asked to provide your personal credit card details to guarantee payment.  This card will be debited if alternative payment is not received within 14 days.  All accommodation accounts must be settled on checkout.

Confirmation of Registrations
All registrations will be sent a confirmation/tax invoice. If you supply an email address the confirmation will be sent to that address as a formatted message. The tax invoice will also be attached in HTML format in case your email messages are received as text only (i.e. unformatted).

Tax Invoice and GST
A tax invoice will be emailed once your registration has been confirmed.  You can also download a tax invoice in PDF format from the Delegate Zone.  All prices are quoted in Australian Dollars (AUD$) and include GST.

Cancellation Policy
Cancellations notified in writing by 1 June will be eligible for a refund less $150. Cancellations notified after this date will not be eligible for a refund but another person may attend the Conference.

Payment Options

1. Credit Card Payments
The conference accepts Visa or MasterCard. Credit payments will appear as 'Conference Design Pty Ltd' on your statement.
2. Cheque Payments
Please send your cheque made payable to Conference Design (AHGA) with a completed registration form or invoice number.
3. EFT Payments
Please send your Electronic Funds Transfer to the account below and fax or email remittance advice when the payment has been made.

	BSB:	017 324
	Account #:	1085 82575
	Account Name:	Conference Design (Conference Account)
	Bank:	ANZ, Sandy Bay Branch
	Swift Code:	ANZBAU3M