It’s the Antipodes’ largest horticulture-industry conference and an annual showcase for Australia’s buoyant horticulture sector.
The annual Hort Connections, a joint industry conference and trade show, draws buyers and sellers from every segment of the fresh produce and floral supply chain from across Australia and beyond.
They gather to listen to and learn from industry leaders and experts in the field, discuss hot-button issues, check out new products and services, tour related enterprises and network with growers, suppliers, packers and processors, wholesalers, retailers and foodservice, importers and exporters, innovative start-ups and SMEs, researchers and government reps.
Organised by Australia’s leading horticulture industry body and FFSCRC partner, Hort Innovation, with major sponsors AUSVEG and the International Fresh Produce Association Australia-New Zealand (IFPA A-NZ), Hort Connections 2023 will be held in Adelaide, South Australia.
On the agenda
Hort Connections speakers and exhibitors will showcase the latest research, technologies, and innovations, offering fresh perspectives on the future of Australasia’s horticulture industry.
Day 1 (Mon 5 June) consists of optional farm and retailer tours – included in All-access registration packages. Choose between a full-day bus tour visiting horticultural producers (6am-4pm) and a half-day tour of horticultural retail facilities (9am-1.30pm). There’s a Welcome Reception in the Exhibition Halls from 4.30-6.30pm
On Days 2 and 3, a tailored conference program runs in tandem with the Hort Connections Trade Show, housed in the Adelaide Convention Centre’s Exhibition Halls. The Trade Show, open from 9am-6pm daily, will display and demonstrate products and services of relevance to Australia’s horticulture industry, including its high-value tree crops and protected cropping sectors. There’s a daily ‘Trade Show happy hour’ from 5.10-6pm.
On Day 2, a Perfection-Fresh-sponsored Breakfast (8-9am) is followed by a series of short Trade Show speaker/information sessions (10am-1pm, Exhibition Hall) including sessions on:
- ‘Information Automation to grow your knowledge and business’ with Sharon Chapman, founder of ABC Software;
- ‘Farmer-driven R&D: How to go from Back-of-Napkin to Paddock in 15 months’, with Jordy Kitschke, Founder of Flux Robotics; and
- a session on sourcing fertiliser and the importance of truth in labelling with Jeff Kraak, Program Manager at Fertilizer Australia.
In the afternoon of Day 2 (noon-2.20pm), there are back-to-back sessions on women, diversity and inclusion.
Day 3’s plenary speaker and panel sessions (8.30am-noon, Hall C-E) includes an opening session, ‘State of the Industry’, with speaker Max Teplitski, Chief Science Officer at the International Fresh Produce Association; and popular global ‘food futurist’ Tony Hunter, of Future Cubed, on ‘The future of horticulture to 2040: Technology and consumer trends revolutionising the industry’.
The event wraps up with the Hort Connections Pre-Dinner Drinks (6:30-7pm, Hall C-E Foyer), Gala Dinner (7-11pm, Hall C-E Foyer) and Gala Dinner After Party (11pm-late, venue to be announced).
For more information on the speakers, click here.
For updates on the Hort Connections program, click here.
Exhibiting and sponsorship
For a list of Hort Connections 2023 exhibitors, click here. To learn more about exhibiting at this year’s Hort Connections Trade Show, click here.
To learn more about becoming an event sponsor, click here.
Key details
This venue for this year’s conference and exhibition is the Adelaide Convention Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia. View on map.
The event is scheduled to take place in person between 5 and 7 June 2023, from 8.30am daily, SA time (30 minutes behind AEST).
Members of Hort Innovation get discounts on registration and ticket for ancillary events. For more information on ticketing, costs and registration, visit the registration page.
Registration and further information
To purchase tickets to the event, click here. For more information, visit the Hort Connections website or contact the event organisers via email at info@hortconnections.com.au or on +61 3 9882 0277.