The peak national organisation representing the Australian irrigation industry joins AUSVEG, PMA Australia-New Zealand (PMA A-NZ), Australian Organic and Onions Australia to co-host Hort Connections, which combines the National Horticulture Convention and PMA Fresh Connections, the premier events of two of horticulture’s leading organisations.

“We are very excited to announce that Irrigation Australia has joined as a co-host for Hort Connections 2017 in Adelaide. Irrigation Australia plays a significant role as the national representative of the Australian irrigation industry and its biennial conference is a highlight of the industry’s calendar,” said AUSVEG National Marketing Manager, Nathan McIntyre.

“Irrigation is a core element in all sectors of agriculture and this partnership will ensure a stronger caliber of information and networking opportunities are presented to delegates.”

Irrigation Australia CEO, Bryan Ward, said the opportunity to co-host Hort Connections in 2017 was common sense not just from an industry point of view, but also for delegates. “The Irrigation Australia Conference and Exhibition is held every two years and is the largest event of its kind in the Asia Pacific Region. The opportunity to co-host Hort Connections in 2017 is a fantastic way to ensure our members can meet with a more diverse range of delegates than they have in the past in the lead-up to the next biennial conference, which will be held in 2018.”

“We are looking forward to bringing delegates a plenary session dedicated to essential irrigation topics to improve industry standards and provide practical solutions for the efficient use of water in irrigation. New industry products, services and technologies will also be on display during the trade show, which will run alongside the speaker sessions.”

“As irrigation is a cross-sector contributor in horticulture, our members will be able to meet and learn from their peers across many areas of the industry and discuss how different irrigation requirements and solutions can work for their businesses.”

“We now have a leading line-up of industry co-hosts for Hort Connections and this will help to further unify the Australian horticulture industry. We are thrilled to be working with PMA A-NZ, Australian Organic, Onions Australia and Irrigation Australia to organise this leading event,” McIntyre said.

AUSVEG and PMA A-NZ are also in discussions with other industry groups to co-host Hort Connections in an effort to further unite the horticulture industry.