CFGS 2016 Toolkit Copy
Introduction - Welcome to the Show!
We deeply appreciate your involvement in CHICAGO IS – the 2016 Chicago Flower & Garden
Show.
As it welcomes more than 40,000 visitors annually, the show offers an outstanding opportunity for you to shake hands with your best customers and meet new prospects. This turnkey toolkit provides information you can quickly copy and paste right into your communications to promote your participation in the show and maximize your overall experience.
You’ll find:
1.
Links to connect with the show on social media
2.
Ready-to-use text and photos to post on your social media pages
3.
A template news release to inform media and business contacts of your show participation
4.
Additional copy to use in e-newsletters, blogs or websites
For assistance with additional resources, please contact Gina Tedesco, GreenMark Public
Relations, at 630-803-6333 or gtedesco@greenmarkpr.com
Follow these steps to maximize your outreach to key audiences and enhance your brand recognition through your participation in the Chicago Flower & Garden Show:
◻
STEP 1 – CONNECT WITH THE SHOW VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow the show’s pages on social media. Share our content to your sites and customize it by adding details of your participation. You can find us on:
Facebook www.facebook.com/chicagoflower
Twitter https://twitter.com/ChicagoFlower
Pinterest www.pinterest.com/chicagoflower
Instagram www.instagram.com/chicagoflower#

◻ STEP 2 – POST THE FOLLOWING, “READY TO USE” REMINDERS OF
YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE SHOW ON YOUR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES.
Post one reminder weekly or bi-weekly right up to the show’s opening on your business’ wall and share to ours, too!
Facebook
(We suggest you upload this photo, and then post the following text.)
Going to “The Show?” We are! See you at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by
Mariano’s, March 12-20, 2016 at Navy Pier! Get your garden questions answered and enjoy the gardens, Marketplace, Garden Gourmet and so much more! #chicagoflower
(We suggest you upload this photo, and then post the following text.)
Find new inspiration to glam your garden or grow your own food at the Chicago Flower &
Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s. Visit us at the show and welcome spring, March 12-20,
2016 at Navy Pier. #chicagoflower
(We suggest you upload this photo, and then post the following text.)
Children will love this year’s Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s, with its newly-expanded Kid’s Activity Garden. Come see all the fresh new gardens, March 12-20, 2016 at Navy Pier. Visit http://www.chicagoflower.com
for discounted tickets online. #chicagoflower
(We suggest you upload a photo of your plants or other products with the following text.)
How will you welcome spring? Check out more than 20 featured gardens with great ideas for creating a gorgeous garden, easily. Visit us at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by
Mariano’s, March 12-20, 2016 at Navy Pier! #chicagoflower

(We suggest you upload a photo of your plants or other products with the following text.)
Don’t wait one extra minute for spring to arrive! At the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s, find easy, new ways to green your garden and make your neighbors green with envy! Visit us March 12-20, 2016 at Navy Pier! #chicagoflower
(We suggest you upload a photo of your plants or other products with the following text.)
Love to see our world nice ’n green? We’ll help everyone with supplies and advice to make your garden extra-gorgeous. We’ll be among the 20 featured gardens and more at the Chicago Flower
& Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s, March 12-20, 2016. Come visit us! #chicagoflower
(We suggest you upload a photo of your plants or other products with the following text.)
Got tickets? Get $2 off the box office price for each adult ticket to the Chicago Flower & Garden
Show, presented by Mariano’s, by going online to http://www.chicagoflower.com.
Make sure to visit us at the show to get the best and latest for your garden. #chicagoflower
Twitter
Join us to “ring in spring” at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s
March 12-20 @Navy Pier. chicagoflower.com
Best garden ideas ever at Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s. Be there!
March 12-20 @Navy Pier. chicagoflower.com
Get your tix & visit us at Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s March 12-20
@Navy Pier. chicagoflower.com

◻
STEP 3 – INFORM MEDIA AND BUSINESS CONTACTS
Help the media cover your show participation with the following news release. Simply replace the yellow highlighted areas with your text/logo, and circulate the release to local, regional and national media, business contacts, local chamber of commerce and trade associations.
Media Contacts:
Your Business Name
Your Contact Name
Your Phone Number
Your E-mail Address
Chicago Flower & Garden Show
Sue Markgraf, GreenMark
For Immediate Release
847-917-9654 smarkgraf@greenmarkpr.com
Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s, Blooms March 12-20,
2016
CITY, STATE (Mo., Day, Year) – There are gardens, and then there are gardens that stand out for their beauty or functionality. Anyone can find out the secrets of creating a lovely garden using simple, easy-to-learn techniques at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show , presented by
Mariano’s, from March 12-20, 2016 at
Navy Pier .
(Insert your organization and main office’s town here, e.g. ABC Landscaping of Hinsdale or XYZ Company of Chicago) is proud to be a part of the show, amid two-dozen stunning featured gardens. The show also includes a shopper’s paradise Marketplace; nationallyrecognized experts presenting information-packed seminars; Garden Gourmet cooking demonstrations featuring top chefs; a professionally-decorated Tablescapes display; and a newlyexpanded Kid’s Activity Garden – plus more!
(Insert quote here – no more than two sentences – explaining what visitors will experience and learn from your participation in the show. Summarize what remarkable products or services you will be showing or demonstrating.)
This year’s show theme – CHICAGO IS – inspires, educates and motivates visitors to transform and enhance their green spaces with practical ideas that are simple to incorporate, creating a yard that’s easy on the eyes and easier to maintain.

The 2016 Chicago Flower & Garden Show kicks off with the heralded Evening in Bloom preview party on Friday, March 11. Highlighting this year’s “sneak peek” at the gardens are top chefs from around the country associated with the Trotter Project, this year’s beneficiary of
Evening In Bloom. The Trotter Project is a national initiative driven by alumni of the late Charlie
Trotter’s restaurants to unite those interested in the culinary arts through various events and programs designed to educate and inspire.
The show is open to the public from March 12-20. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on
Sundays and Monday through Wednesday; and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through
Saturday. Save $2 by purchasing tickets online at www.chicagoflower.com
. Adult tickets purchased online are $15 weekdays and $17 weekends. Children ages 4-12 are admitted for $5.
For four-season, good-gardening inspiration, sign up for the Chicago Flower & Garden
Show’s e-newsletter and weekly blog at www.chicagoflower.com
. You’ll receive valuable tips about gardening and details about the show, including group tours, hotel discounts and exclusive ticket offers, as well as schedules and features. Follow the show for the very latest updates and unique extras on Facebook and Twitter @chicagoflower.
###
Editors, please note: Photos are available on request to the media contacts on this release.
About Flower Show Productions, Inc.:
Flower Show Productions, Inc. is the production company for the annual Chicago Flower & Garden
Show at Navy Pier (March 12-20, 2016) and for grand-scale public events that celebrate sustainable living and eco-friendly lifestyles. The company provides year-round messaging, education and information about the benefits of earth-friendly choices to our yards, neighborhoods, communities and the planet. For year-round inspiration and great ideas, please visit www.chicagoflower.com
and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chicagoflower and on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/ChicagoFlower )
@ChicagoFlower.
Do Green. Do Good.
Kindly consider the environment before printing.
◻
STEP 4 – CONNECT VIA NEWSLETTER, BLOG AND WEBSITE
To encourage your audience to visit the show, we’ve prepared copy and images you may simply copy and paste into your newsletter, blog and website. Please feel free to customize the copy below with your own logo or images and details about your upcoming participation, including dates, times and highlights.
Website Home Page
You may add copy to your website’s home page with a hyperlink to the show’s site: www.chicagoflower.com
Web visitors will find daily schedules, show highlights, hotel specials,
Navy Pier and transportation information, and discounted tickets.
Welcome Spring with Us at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s

March 12-20, 2016 at Navy Pier!

E-mail Sign-Offs
Consider adding this line in your email signature: (Presenting/Speaking/Sponsoring/Exhibiting) at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s, March 12-20, 2016
Blog and E-newsletters
For your convenience, here are two versions of an e-newsletter that you may copy and paste into your communications, and add details of your own show participation: e-Newsletter Copy (full version)
CHICAGO IS Blooming at Navy Pier in March!
Spring’s first chorus delights visitors at the 2016
Chicago Flower & Garden Show , presented by Marino’s, March 12-20 at Navy Pier. This year’s show theme – CHICAGO IS – will celebrate those special qualities that make the second city decidedly first rate: the wonderful theater, music, culture, neighborhoods, architecture, fashion, sports, food, and of course, its gardens and parks. We’re thrilled to be a part of the show – make sure to drop by and see us.
(Include here two sentences on what visitors will experience when visiting your organization at the show.)
The Midwest’s top designers create two dozen display gardens, inspiring, educating and motivating experienced gardeners, as well as those who just appreciate the beauty of a flower.
The How-To Garden demonstration studio offers practical tips on all things green from creating simple but stunning containers to developing a patio aquatic garden. Experts also offer gardening tips to cure horticulture headaches during daily seminars, free with admission. In the newlyexpanded Kid’s Activity Garden, little ones can discover creepy-crawly fun at a bug zoo, learn about worm composting and roll up their sleeves with “make-and-take” activities.
Get great ideas to help beautify your home with the professionally-designed, creative and whimsical Tablescapes. See how small spaces don’t have to be small on “eye candy” with window boxes from the Garden Clubs of Illinois. Watch the pros work their magic with cut florals in the American Institute of Floral Designers’ Bobbi Cup competition. Foodies can enjoy daily demos from award-winning chefs at the Garden Gourmet kitchen amphitheater, and in the extensive Marketplace, where the industry’s top suppliers offer must-have garden and lawn-care products, plants and tools.
To get a sneak peek at the gorgeous gardens, plan to attend the charity event, Evening In
Bloom. The show’s exclusive preview party on March 11 features top chefs from around the country associated with The Trotter Project, a national initiative driven by alumni of the late
Charlie Trotter’s restaurants to unite those interested in the culinary arts. Find out more and order
Evening In Bloom tickets easily through the show’s website. Check out the special offers before you purchase show tickets for you and your friends. Plan your visit easily with directions to the show and parking options.
See you at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, March 12-20, 2016!

e-Newsletter Copy (condensed version)
Planting New Ideas
Spring’s first chorus delights visitors at the 2016 Chicago Flower & Garden Show , presented by Marino’s, March 12-20 at Navy Pier. This year’s show theme – CHICAGO IS – will celebrate those special qualities that make the second city decidedly first rate: the wonderful theater, music, culture, neighborhoods, architecture, fashion, sports, food, and of course, its gardens and parks. We’re thrilled to be a part of the show – make sure to drop by and see us.
(Include here two sentences on what visitors will experience when visiting your organization at the show.)
Two-dozen featured gardens inspire, educate and motivate novices and pros alike with creative solutions for every garden – from apartment balcony to multi-acre lot – and everything in between! The newly-expanded Kid’s Activity Garden gives children fun, hands-on gardening experience. The American Institute of Floral Designers’ competition reveals unique techniques for cut florals. The How-To Garden demonstration studio and free daily seminars offer experts a chance to cure horticulture headaches.
Professionally-designed Tablescapes bring ingenious, whimsical decorating ideas; awardwinning Garden Gourmet chefs dish up great recipes from the garden bounty and must-have garden and lawn-care products, plants and tools are available from top suppliers in the show’s extensive Marketplace
To get a sneak peek at the gorgeous gardens, plan to attend the charity event, Evening In
Bloom. The show’s exclusive preview party on March 11 features top chefs from around the country associated with The Trotter Project, a national initiative driven by alumni of the late
Charlie Trotter’s restaurants to unite those interested in the culinary arts. Find out more and order
Evening In Bloom tickets easily through the show’s website. Check out the special offers before you purchase show tickets for you and your friends. Plan your visit easily with directions to the show, and parking options.
See you at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, March 12-20, 2016!
2015 Show Fact Sheet
(Note: The following fact sheet provides additional show information. If you wish, use these details to encourage readers to visit you at the show by highlighting all it offers. Weave in your own stories. Add your unique who, what, where, when and how of your appearance and feel free to add photos.)

Chicago Flower & Garden Show – the harbinger of spring in the Midwest and one of the country’s premier flower and landscape shows – traces its roots to 1847.

The Chicago Flower & Garden Show inspires, educates and motivates visitors of all ages and abilities to beautify and enhance green spaces.
 The show is held at Chicago’s Navy Pier – the Midwest’s No. 1 tourist and leisure destination. Navy Pier offers fun for all ages, with more than 50 acres of parks, gardens, restaurants, shops and entertainment. Come for the show and enjoy all the Pier has to offer.

For one low admission price, the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s, offers 20 stunning display gardens, as well as how-to workshops and demonstrations, sensational seminars from the country’s leading experts, Garden Gourmet culinary

demonstrations, an active Kid’s Activity Garden, professionally designed Tablescapes and the extensive Marketplace, featuring a shopper’s paradise of the industry’s top suppliers. (See www.chicagoflower.com if you’d like to provide more detail on any of these elements of the show.)

Designed and installed by nationally-acclaimed landscape designers and horticultural professionals, the show’s display gardens brim with creativity, from vertical planting walls and small space solutions to community gardens.

The show features nationally-recognized experts in gardening, horticulture, design, outdoor living and entertaining, food and cooking and more. Visitors get hands-on experience through interactive and participatory workshops, seminars, classes, demonstrations, programs and special events happening daily. For details and schedules, visit www.chicagoflower.com
.

The show kicks-off with Evening In Bloom, an unforgettable preview on Friday, March 11,
2016. Highlighting this year’s sneak peek at the gardens are top chefs from around the country associated with The Trotter Project, this year’s beneficiary of Evening In Bloom.
The Trotter Project is a national initiative driven by alumni of the late Charlie Trotter’s restaurants to unite those interested in the culinary arts through various events and programs designed to educate and inspire. The event will entertain an estimated 600 VIPs as they tour the Midwest’s iconic show in grandeur, the evening before it opens to the public.

The 2016 Chicago Flower & Garden Show, presented by Mariano’s, runs daily from
Saturday, March 12 through Sunday, March 20 in Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. Hours are from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on
Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Ticket discounts are available at www.chicagoflower.com. Weekday admission is $15 when tickets are purchased online; $17 at the box office. Weekend admission is $17 when purchased online; $19 at the box office. Tickets for children ages 4-12 are $5 and additional discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.

Information on parking and transportation options also is available at www.chicagoflower.com.