West Virginia to Host 2011 International Master Gardener Conference

Delores Barber, KC Master Gardener 1994

The West Virginia Master Gardener Association and West Virginia Cooperative Extension will co-host the 2011 International Master Gardener Conference in Charleston, West Virginia in October 2011. International Conferences are held every two years, with the 2007 conference being held in Little Rock, Arkansas. The 2009 Conference will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Attendance can be as high as 1300 master gardeners from the U.S. and Canada. These conferences run approximately three days with additional time for pre and post conference tours.

West Virginia was asked to consider hosting this conference by the International Master Gardener Committee (IMGC). A committee was appointed by the WVMGA to determine if this was feasible. Several possible locations were identified. The WVMGA asked the committee to research these possible locations and choose the location best suited for the event.

The Site Selection Committee researched locations and narrowed it down to between Morgantown and Charleston. After further research and discussions, Charleston was chosen as the site.

During the July 8, 2006, WVMGA Board meeting, the Site Selection Committee was disbanded and a 2011 Core Conference Committee was selected by the Board. Delores Barber and Kari Mazzaferro were elected co-chairs of this committee. The committee is made up of WVMGA board members from different regions of the state.

A proposal to host the conference in Charleston was submitted to the IMGC in November, 2006. On January 11, 2007, the IMGC voted unanimously to award the conference to West Virginia.

This conference will be a statewide project and will require the help of all members in West Virginia. The structure of the subcommittees will be very similar to the ones used when West Virginia hosted the 2000 Northeast Regional Conference in Wheeling, West Virginia.

A few details are already established. The Marriott will be the host hotel. Meeting space will be complementary from the City of Charleston and the Charleston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. More than 1500 West Virginia Master Gardeners will be asked to participate in various projects and committees. Two or three pre and post tours will be offered to conference attendees. Tours will vary in length from one to three days and will feature scenic locations, historic sites and adventure excursions. Two or three national and international featured speakers will be scheduled.