GreenTech North America is launching a dedicated two-day conference during the Expo on Wednesday September 23 and Thursday September 24 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. 

The conference focuses on innovations and developments shaping horticulture across North America. The conference program will bring together industry leaders to share insights through high-level knowledge sessions on Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), including topics such as energy, human capital, digital growing, AI technologies, and increasing costs.

The first specific topics of the program have been revealed, featuring speakers and sessions set to drive the next phase of horticulture. A selection:

Day 1: 

• Wednesday 23 September, 9:45 AM – 10:30 AM: ‘The State of the CEA Greenhouse Industry in North America: Grower’s point of view’: Trends, Challenges, and Outlook for the Future’ by Paul Sellew (Little Leaf Farms), Abby Prior (Bright Farms and Mucci), David Einstandig (Mastronardi) and Tom Stenzel (CEA Alliance) 
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• Wednesday 23 September, 10:20 AM – 11:30 AM: ‘Greenhouse artificial lighting management and tips for higher yields’ by Aad van den Berg (Delphy) and Octavio Perez (Nature Fresh)
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• Wednesday 23 September, 10:20 AM – 11:30 AM: ‘Labor, Talent Acquisition, and Developing Domestic Expertise: Understanding Human Capital Challenges in the CEA greenhouse and Vertical Farming Industry’ by Jonathan Grode (Green & Spiegel)
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• Wednesday 23 September, 12:40 PM – 1:30 PM: ‘Data Centers: Competition or opportunity for energy cost?’ by Derek Smith (Resource Innovation Institute)

Day 2:

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• Thursday 24 September, 10:40 AM – 11:30 AM: ‘Innovative Produce Crops: Growing What the Market Demands’ by Cole Mucci (Kingsone) 
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• Thursday 24 September, 10:40 AM – 1:30 PM: ‘Hydro Leafy Greens in North America: Designing for Efficiency, Profitability, and Scalable Succes’ by Sonny Moerenhout (Cultivators), Laura Batista (Wageningen University and Research), John McMahon (Taylor Farms) and Jenn Frymark (Gotham Greens)
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• Thursday 24 September, 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM: ‘Growing the CEA Greenhouse Ecosystem in North America: Advancing Technology, Scaling Operations, and Building Talent’ by Peter Ravensbergen (Wageningen University & Research) and Qinglu Ying (University of Kentucky).

Visitor registration offers the option to attend both the Conference and the Expo, or the Expo only. More information is available via www.greentech.nl/north-america/registration. 

Source: GreenTech America June 25, 2026 news release