British Ornamentals Association Conference 2025

‘New Horizons for Horticulture’

Save the date!

The 2025 BOA Technical Conference is due to take place on 5th February 2025 at the National Farmers Union NFU Conference Centre, Stoneleigh with a pre-conference dinner taking place on 4th February 2025 at the Woodland Grange Hotel, Leamington Spa.

As in previous years, this conference will provide a platform for thought leaders and innovators to share insights and developments that are crucial to the future of horticulture. While the specific theme and topics are still being finalised, attendees can expect a range of compelling presentations that address the most pressing challenges and opportunities in our field.

We are also pleased to announce that there will be a pre-conference dinner on the evening of 4th February 2025 at the Woodland Grange Hotel at 7.00pm. This dinner will feature the presentation of several prestigious awards, including the Annual Trumpet Blowers Award, the Annual Alan Hendy Award, the Pot Plant Growers Award, the Bright Spark Award, and the newly created Chair’s Choice Award. This event will offer a valuable opportunity for networking and engagement with peers across the industry.

Early Bird ticket offers are in place until 30th November for both in person and virtual tickets.

BOA members are eligible for an exclusive discount on conference tickets when purchasing tickets via Eventbrite. Please contact us at info@britishornamentals.org for further information prior to booking your tickets.

Our “Under 35 for £35” ticket allows anyone aged 35 or under to attend the conference for only £35, designed to make the event more accessible to the next generation of horticulture professionals.

The British Ornamentals Association looks forward to welcoming delegates to what promises to be an informative and inspiring event, contributing to the ongoing discussions that shape the future of our industry.

Speakers

We have a wealth of speakers lined up for the 2025 Technical Conference including:

Dr Sam Wilkinson, University of York

‘Utilising Jasmonates for Plant Protection’

Sam Wilkinson is a plant molecular biologist focused on understanding the plant immune system to develop innovative strategies for protecting crops from pests and diseases. After completing a BSc in Biology at the University of Sheffield, Sam pursued a PhD at the same institution, investigating how plants acquire long-lasting resistance to herbivores following treatment with jasmonates. Working with the model plant Arabidopsis and the tree Norway spruce, Sam’s research revealed the importance of epigenetic mechanisms in jasmonate-induced resistance.

Following his PhD, Sam led a three-year project which explored the use of synthetic communities of soil-derived plant-beneficial microbes to protect hydroponically grown tomato against disease. In 2024, Sam secured a prestigious BBSRC Fellowship enabling him to join the University of York as an independent researcher. His current project focuses on investigating the combined roles of epigenetics and the root-associated microbiome in long-lasting resistance against herbivory in tomato.

Malcolm Smith, Galaxy 42 Ltd

‘Don’t Panic: A Journey from Spreadsheets to Advanced Data Solutions’

With an HND in Commercial Horticulture and over 25 years in the industry, Malcolm has worked in leading companies like Aylett Nurseries, Bordon Hill Nurseries, and Newey Ltd. 

Now, as the founder of Galaxy42 Ltd, he helps businesses such as Country Herbs and Plants, W Robinson Plants, Vitacress Herbs, Community Property Care and many others streamline operations by transforming inefficient workflows into cloud-based, database-driven solutions.

 Malcolm specializes in converting manual, spreadsheet-based processes into modern platforms and leveraging APIs to connect software systems seamlessly. By bridging the gap between horticulture and technology, using his training and on the ground experience, he empowers clients to boost productivity, reduce errors, and develop the business.

Islam Abdel-Aziz, ADAS

‘Carbon accounting in ornamental crop production’

Islam delivers research and consultancy across horticulture, for a variety of clients and partners, in the UK and abroad. With a focus on cropping systems, resource use and supply chains, he will discuss the intricacies of carbon accounting and its adoption in ornamental systems in the UK.

Neil Bragg, Substrate Associates  Ltd

‘Nutritional Considerations For Peat-Free Substrates’

Neil Bragg is a Soil Scientist who has worked in the Horticultural sector for 40 years. His main areas of interest include plant nutrition, fertigation and development of new substrates – particularly as we move towards peat-free mixes. With Ann McCann of Bulrush Horticulture, Neil developed the Poinsettia Monitoring scheme which has now been running since 1998 and has a massive accumulation of analytical results for both substrates and plant tissue.

Martin Emmett, NFU

‘Whatever Next? Responding to the challenges facing our industry’

Credit: John Cottle / NFU

Martin Emmett is in his second term as the Chair of the NFU’s Board for Horticulture and Potatoes. He is also a Director of the Farplants Group and member of the Environmental Horticulture Group with special responsibility for education and employment issues. During the last year he has been actively engaging with the present and previous Governments: championing industry interests on matters ranging from border controls to inheritance taxes. He is a Trustee of the LSA Charitable Trust and set up their Fellowship Program, which in the last eight years has supported the professional development of over 50 members of the horticultural industry.

Prof Alistair Griffiths, RHS

‘RHS collaborative transition to Peat Free with Growers and Gardeners’

Professor Alistair Griffiths is the Director of Science and Collections at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). He leads a team of scientists focused on sharing current scientific knowledge and conducting research to provide evidence-based solutions for horticultural challenges. Alistair ensures the RHS remains at the forefront of horticultural science. He holds a First and National Diploma in Horticulture from Myerscough College and a BSc (Hons) and PhD from the University of Reading. Before joining the RHS, he was Head Scientist at the Eden Project. Alistair authored the RHS Sustainability Strategy and co-authored Your Wellbeing Garden: How to Make Your Garden Good for You – Science, Design, and Practice. His ambition is to build a resilient, planet-friendly gardening community that tackles climate and biodiversity crises. He promotes optimizing plant genetic diversity to maximize health and environmental benefits while minimizing resource use and waste.

Michael Smith, W D Smith & Son Ltd

‘Floral Fantasia – Update’

Michael is the 3rd generation of W. D. Smith & Son family business based at Wickford in Essex. The nursery has been growing seasonal colour and veg for over 80 years. The business also owns Meadow Croft Garden Centre.

Michael is also chair of the group managing  ‘Floral Fantasia’ at RHS Hyde Hall.

David Domoney C Hort. FCI Hort. F Wcg. F Cmc. FLS, Domoney Ltd

‘The Positive Power of Plants’

David Domoney is a Fellow of the London Colleges of Horticulture at Capel Manor, a Fellow of the Warwickshire Colleges of Horticulture, a Fellow of the Linnean Society, and a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture. He has won 36 RHS medals and 3 RHS ‘Best in Show’ trophies. Prince Edward personally selected David to receive the 2018 Award for Excellence in Horticulture.

David is a garden and nature television presenter, currently his shows include ITV’s ‘Love Your Garden’, ITV’s ‘Love Your Weekend’, ITV’s flagship show ‘This Morning’, and ITV’s ‘Gardening Club’.

He is a Chartered Horticulturalist, broadcaster, and author. David has been at the forefront of enlightening the nation on the importance of recognising the health and social impact of living in a technologically dependent world. He has inspired the public to balance digital engagement with quality time immersed in plants and nature.

Annelies Bayens, DCM

‘Innovative Approaches to Resilient Growing’

Annelies Bayens is a Business Development Manager at DCM. Specialising in fertilisers and biostimulants, DCM supports growers across Europe in achieving resilient, high-performing crops. With a strong focus on innovation and tailored strategies, DCM helps improve soil health and optimise plant nutrition to address the challenges of modern cultivation.

Dedicated to driving positive change in the field, Annelies works with growers to implement DCM’s forward-thinking solutions, ensuring long-term success and sustainability in crop production.

Sean Loakes, Syngenta Ornamentals

‘Understanding Sprayable Biologicals’

Sean studied biology at Swansea university, having focused on entomology he joined i2L Research, a UK based contract research organization specialising in insect efficacy testing. For 12 years Sean designed and conducted laboratory and field studies for a variety of biological, chemical and physical mode of action products against insect pests and fungal plant pathogens.

At Syngenta he provides technical support for Syngenta products used by ornamental growers. He works alongside Syngenta technical teams from across the globe, to identify and develop new world-leading solutions from the company’s exciting pipeline of R&D products and services.

Sarah Want, YPHA & MorePeople

‘YPHA – Launch Success Update’

Sarah has been with MorePeople for over 5 years where she instantly developed an interest in the horticulture industry. She specialises in roles within Horticulture including growers, agronomists, technical sales reps, plant area managers and more. She is NVQ Level 3 qualified in Recruitment and loves nothing more than supporting the industry, and individuals’ careers to move forward.

As well as the day-to-day, Sarah is an active member of the YPHA Committee who focus on uniting under 35’s in Horticulture, which is something she’s incredibly passionate about. YPHA are now over 1000 members strong, with regular in-person networking events, seminars and halfway through their first accelerator programme.

Marco Zevenhoven, RHP

‘Grip on the New Growing Media’

Marco Zevenhoven has nearly 40 years of experience at RHP, the international knowledge centre for substrates and the world’s most stringent quality mark for professional horticulture. As a technical expert, Marco supports producers of growing media and suppliers of raw materials, with in-depth knowledge of products and processes across the entire supply chain. He has visited hundreds of sites worldwide. Marco coordinates international product groups within RHP and contributes to setting product standards. He and his colleagues play a key role in sharing knowledge in the transition to renewable raw materials. RHP’s expertise contributes to the continued safety and quality of products in this dynamic and rapidly shifting market. As sustainable materials gain importance, the properties of growing media are changing significantly. To address these changes, RHP conducts extensive research into the characteristics of new raw materials and their interactions in growing media.

The conference is kindly sponsored by: