School of Thumb is all about industry experts helping everyday Australians to cut through the gardening guesswork and grow better from home – and our video series has been a hit.

Now, nurseries just like yours can host their own School of Thumb event, live in-store.

Help your customers get the facts, get dirty and get growing.

HERE YOU’LL FIND OUR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE AND MARKETING MATERIALS

Plan

your approach

PROMOTE

your event

Host

in-store

Create

momentum

THE FIRST LIVE SCHOOL OF THUMB WAS A HIT

We worked with Eden Gardens in New South Wales to host the very first in-store School of Thumb. With our guidance and their gardening gurus, the event was a smashing success.

Over the two-hour event, the team at Eden taught six local nursery goers how to make a succulent bowl. Read the step-by-step to see how it went!

Ready to host your own school of thumb?

Step 1: Plan your approach

PICK A TIME

  • Choose a day and time when your nursery will be buzzing
  • Chat with your team about the best time for them, and who will run the event
  • Book out a space if necessary
  • Create a calendar event and invite your key team members

EDEN GARDENS HELD THEIR EVENT ON A BUSTLING SUNDAY MORNING.

PICK A TOPIC

  • Choose a topic based on the season and current trends
  • Talk to floor staff to understand common questions
  • Remember that broad topics are more popular than specific problems

EDEN GARDENS SHOWED THEIR CUSTOMERS HOW TO BUILD A STYLISH SUCCULENT BOWL.

THOUGHT STARTERS

1

Plant a low maintenance garden

2

Create colour year-round

3

Level-up your veggie patch

4

Solutions for small spaces

5

A sensory experience to cultivate mindfulness

Want more ideas? Check out our Consumer Usage and Attitudes Research and Plant Trend Report.

CHOOSE A PARTNER (OPTIONAL)

See if a local charity or community group wants to get involved.

SET UP YOUR EVENT ON EVENTBRITE

By asking people to sign up you can estimate numbers and capture their email addresses to remind them about the event.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT AD?

  • An inspiring image
  • Straightforward copy
  • A sign-up link through Eventbrite

8 WEEKS BEFORE YOUR EVENT

Start asking your community to sign-up. Do an audit of the free communications channels available to you, including:
  • Social media
  • In-store signage
  • Your email list
  • Your website
  • Local community groups

3 WEEKS BEFORE YOUR EVENT

Prepare and print your posters, tags and stickers, to help showcase your event in-store. We recommended getting your materials printed on water resistant materials. Nurseries can be damp places!

EDEN GARDENS MADE THEIR EVENT POP WITH OUR POSTERS, COUNTER CARDS, PLANT TAGS, POT STICKERS AND SHELF WOBBLERS.

Download your free marketing materials

2 WEEKS BEFORE YOUR EVENT

To get the maximum number of people attending, we recommend boosting your social posts. This could be as little as $9 per day for Instagram and Facebook ads. Here are some other channels to think about:
  • Advertise on Gardening Australia or other gardening websites
  • Place an ad in local papers, newsletters or on a local radio station

1 WEEK AND 1 DAY BEFORE YOUR EVENT

Use Eventbrite to send a reminder to your guests.

REMEMBER, IT’S NORMAL FOR ABOUT HALF THE PEOPLE WHO SIGN UP NOT TO SHOW UP. SO OVERBOOK IF YOU CAN.

The stage is set, your gardening guru is ready to go.

MAKE IT OBVIOUS WHERE THE EVENT IS

  • Have clear signage throughout the nursery, including the front door, to help people find the right spot
  • Put posters and decorative plants around your event space

CREATE A WARM WELCOME

Have dedicated team members nearby, ready to ask people if they’re here for the event and chat to them while they wait for it to start

ANNOUNCE THAT YOU’RE STARTING

Make a friendly announcement over your PA system, inviting everyone currently in the nursery to join

CREATE CONTENT AND CONTACTS

  • Take photos and videos – they’ll come in handy later!
  • Invite people to follow you on social media or join your email list

Have a think about how your School of Thumb event relates to particular products, and how you could provide more value to the people who come to your event.

HERE ARE SOME THOUGHT STARTERS

1

Offer a discount code

2

Provide website links or information on the plants or products used in the workshop

3

Invite attendees to follow you on social media, rewarding them with a chance to win a prize draw.

EDEN GARDENS SELLS AN ARRAY OF HOMEWARES AS WELL AS PLANTS. THEIR EVENT TAUGHT CUSTOMERS HOW TO GROUP SUCCULENTS AND STYLE THE DESIGN TO MATCH THEIR HOME.

SHARE THE LOVE

  • Share photos and videos from the day across your social channels and website
  • Create and share ‘top takeaways’ for everyone who signed up on Eventbrite
  • Send out a survey to see what attendees thought, and what they want to hear about next

ALL SET UP AND READY TO PROMOTE YOUR SCHOOL OF THUMB EVENT IN-STORE?

Our marketing materials are completely free to use.

As you have a look through, think about which styles and colours will help your event stand out in-store. Our marketing materials are completely free to use. Click on each asset below to download the files.


Posters


Counter cards


Shelf wobblers


Plant swing tags


Pot stickers

Download all assets

WHO’S BEHIND SCHOOL OF THUMB

This guide is funded through the Hort Innovation Nursery Fund, using the Nursery marketing levy. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.

We believe that plants and trees are amazing. Whether home, workplace, street or suburb, we’re on a mission to help every Australian make their space a better, greener place.

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