West Coast Nut September 2019

A WORD FROM THE BOARD: THE ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
and challenges, and the opportunities ahead. You catch up
with fellow growers and pest control advisors (PCA), meeting
old friends and making new ones, in between sessions on irrigation
scheduling and the California Almond Sustainability
Program. You speak with a University of California (UC)
Davis researcher, an equipment manufacturer and a solar
company all in one afternoon, after which you enjoy a glass of
wine on the trade show floor.
A “Best of Show” Event
By THE ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
IMAGINE THIS: YOU WAKE UP AFTER A RESTFUL
night’s sleep in your family’s RV. You get ready for the day
and walk less than five minutes to the largest event in the
world dedicated entirely to almonds, where you hear leaders
in the almond industry speak about the past year’s successes
Where Are you?
You’re at The Almond Conference 2019, the California
almond industry’s “Best of Show,” blue ribbon event.
The Almond Conference is the largest international gathering
focused solely on almonds, last year drawing nearly
4,000 people from 30 countries and 35 states. Held this year
on December 10-12, the annual event provides growers and
processors the opportunity to interact with researchers and
influential industry members to discuss a variety of research
projects, production news, global marketing efforts, regulatory
issues and more. The conference also features workshops
and poster sessions dedicated to research topics, as well as
a bustling exhibit hall where industry members can see the
latest in equipment and technology firsthand.
This year’s Almond Conference will take place at Cal Expo,
home of the California State Fair.
“This year’s conference will take on the look and feel of the
State Fair,” said Daren Williams, Almond Board of California’s
(ABC) senior director of Global Communications. “So bring
the whole family and comfortable shoes and clothes. Orchard
attire is encouraged!”
Move to Cal Expo for 2019
Following The Almond Conference 2018, the City of
Sacramento began a large-scale remodel and expansion of the
Sacramento Convention Center, the host site for The Almond
Conference (TAC) for the past seven years. The remodel will
significantly update the facility and provide much needed
improvements, offering the Almond Board a truly state-ofthe-art
venue for future conferences.
However, to undertake and complete this effort, the City
of Sacramento closed the Convention Center for a year,
requiring The Almond Conference to move venues for 2019.
After reviewing more than a dozen site options, the Almond
Board of California conference management team choose
Sacramento’s Cal Expo, the site of the California State Fair, for
The Almond Conference 2019.
“There’s no doubt about it: Cal Expo is a very different
venue than the Sacramento Convention Center, but that
excites us! The conference planning team has fully embraced
what Cal Expo has to offer, which is why we selected the
‘Best of Show’ theme that ties into the home of the California
State Fair. Cal Expo provides ample space for our growing
exhibits, convenient parking and endless opportunity to have
fun and try some new things,” said Jenny Nicolau, senior
manager of Industry Relations and Communications at the
Almond Board.
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West Coast Nut September 2019