Conference Sessions
Descriptions to come as they are received
Lavender Cultivars - Not all lavender is created equal—and choosing the right cultivars can make the difference between thriving plants and costly disappointment. Explore the key differences among lavender species and cultivars, helping you make informed decisions based on your climate, soil, and farm goals.
You’ll learn how lavender cultivars differ in cold hardiness, growth habit, bloom timing, fragrance, and end use. We’ll discuss which cultivars are best suited for fresh and dried bundles, essential oil production, culinary use, landscaping, and value-added products. The class also covers regional considerations, including winter survival, disease resistance, and long-term productivity.
Growing/Planting
Lavender - Growing healthy, long-lived lavender starts with proper planting. This educational session covers the fundamentals of lavender cultivation, with a focus on planting techniques that support strong root development, disease prevention, and long-term productivity.
You’ll learn lavender’s basic growing requirements—including soil preparation, drainage, spacing, and sun exposure—along with different planting methods such as in-ground planting, raised beds, mounded rows, and container growing. We’ll discuss when to plant, how to prepare young plants, and common mistakes that lead to failure.
Propagation, Harvest, etc. - In this hands-on, information-rich class, you’ll learn how to successfully propagate lavender plants and harvest them at their peak for beauty, fragrance, and long-term plant health.
We’ll explore the life cycle of lavender, focusing on the best methods for propagation, including softwood and semi-hardwood cuttings, soil preparation, rooting conditions, and aftercare. You’ll gain confidence in choosing healthy parent plants and understanding when and why propagation succeeds—or fails.
The class will also cover harvesting techniques for different purposes, whether you’re growing lavender for fresh bouquets, drying, culinary use, or essential oil. You’ll learn how to recognize the ideal harvest window, proper cutting methods, and how harvesting impacts plant longevity and future blooms.
Bath
Salts & Teas - Create soothing, aromatic bath blends using mineral-rich salts, dried botanicals, and carefully selected essential oils. In this hands-on class, you’ll learn how to formulate both bath salts and bath teas designed to promote relaxation, ease tired muscles, and elevate your everyday bathing ritual.
We’ll explore the properties of different salts, how to blend herbs and flowers safely for bath use, and simple scenting techniques using essential oils and herbal infusions. You’ll also learn proper measuring, mixing, and packaging so your creations stay fresh and beautiful.
Creating Extracts:
In this session, we’ll explore the art and science of creating herbal extracts, along with an introduction to infusions — including guided sampling. Cal will demonstrate his signature Lavender JohnnyCakes recipe, bringing a deliciously practical element to the discussion. Julie will also walk through important considerations for alcohol-based extracts, including state regulatory compliance, proper labeling, and smart marketing practices. Handouts will be provided, and attendees will receive copies of the presentation slides, as in previous years.
Simple AI Tools to Save Time while Growing Your Lavender Business
This session will show you how to use AI to write product descriptions, create social media content, draft newsletters, and organize ideas — without losing the authenticity and heart of your craft. You’ll leave with ready-to-use prompts, real examples, and at least one piece of usable content created during the session, plus the confidence to use AI as a supportive tool on your workbench.
Design Smarter in Canva: The Essentials for Small Businesses:
This workshop introduces small business owners and entrepreneurs to the fundamentals of effective design in Canva. Participants will learn basic visual design principles, how to identify and customize high-quality templates, and how to create consistent visuals across multiple marketing channels without starting from scratch. The session focuses on practical skills that save time and improve clarity, helping participants leave with a better eye for design and a simple system they can immediately use in their business.
The Art of Soap Embeds: Elevate Your Handmade Soaps:
Elevate your soap designs from basic bars to eye-catching, artisanal masterpieces with the technique of soap embeds. This presentation provides an in-depth guide to creating, prepping, and successfully placing decorative elements within both Melt & Pour and Cold Process soap. Whether you are looking to upcycle soap scraps or create unique designs and scenes, you will learn the technical "secrets" to provide visual interest and personalization to your handmade soaps.
All
Lavender is not Equal: Chemical Components of Lavender Essential Oil and How
The Components Alter the Use and Scent of Your Finished Product
Philosophy
Meets the Psychology of Selling: How Being Reflective About Selling Can Change
Your Business
Blend with Confidence: Essential Oil Dilution Simplified: Creating aromatherapy products that are both safe and effective begins with understanding proper dilution. In this practical, step-by-step session, Clinical Aromatherapist Liz Fulcher brings 35 years of essential oil experience to clearly explain how to determine the correct amount of essential oil to add to lotions, massage oils, therapeutic blends, roll-ons, and other personal care products.
Using simple, reliable formulas, attendees will practice calculating dilution levels for common product sizes and learn how to choose appropriate percentages for daily-use body products, short-term targeted applications, and specialized blends. The session also addresses how to adjust concentrations based on product purpose, the user’s age and sensitivity, frequency of use, and essential oil safety considerations.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to confidently calculate dilution levels, apply clear reference guidelines, and formulate aromatherapy products with consistency, professionalism, and confidence.
Branding Your Business - This presentation provides a practical, step-by-step guide
to branding a small tourism-related business. It covers how to define your
target traveler, clarify your unique value, and build a compelling brand story
rooted in local culture and experience. Participants will learn how to create a
consistent visual identity, choose the right brand voice, design memorable
customer touchpoints, and align their online presence with in-person
experiences. The session also explores how to use social media, reviews, and
partnerships to strengthen brand visibility and credibility. By the end,
attendees will have clear, actionable strategies to develop a strong,
recognizable brand that attracts and retains visitors.
Business Photography & Videography - This presentation offers a practical, hands-on guide to
creating high-quality photos, videos, and marketing content for small
tourism-based businesses using only a cell phone. Participants will learn how
to use simple smartphone settings to improve lighting, framing, and
composition, as well as techniques for capturing authentic guest experiences,
local atmosphere, and behind-the-scenes moments. The session covers how to
shoot engaging short-form videos, create scroll-stopping social media content,
and edit directly on your phone using easy, accessible apps. Attendees will
also discover tips for storytelling, capturing testimonials, and maintaining
brand consistency across platforms. By the end, participants will have clear,
actionable tools to confidently produce professional-looking content that
attracts and inspires travelers—without expensive equipment.
From Lavender Field to Finished Product: Understanding the Structure of Stable Botanical Skincare - Botanicals are only the beginning of a successful product. Turning farm-grown ingredients into finished skincare requires an understanding of how formulation systems work.
In this lecture, Cosmetic Formulator and Registered Aromatherapist Kayla Fioravanti draws on more than 27 years in the natural products industry to explain the core building blocks that determine whether a botanical product succeeds: emulsifiers, humectants, chelating agents, pH balance, and overall formula structure. Known for her practical, science-based approach to clean formulation, she demonstrates how these components function together to create products that hold their texture, perform well on the skin, and remain consistent over time.
Rather than teaching recipes, this session helps growers and makers understand how complete formulations are built so they can work with their lavender and other botanicals with greater confidence, reliability, and professional results.
Ideal for lavender growers, herbalists, and small-batch makers who want to better understand the science behind the products they create.
Beyond Lavender: Growing a secondary crop for a Profitable Shoulder Seasons - At the 2025 Come Celebrate Lavender Conference, Jessica Kidwell shared the success of her 2,000+ mum operation in addition to being a lavender grower. This year, she returns to share another surprising and profitable addition to her farm: luffa sponges. Jessica began growing luffas in 2020 and has since developed them into a thriving shoulder-season income stream supporting both spring and fall sales. In this session, she will cover the gamete from growing to harvesting and how to incorporate luffa into your existing product line as well as a profitable agritourism component. Extend your season and improve your bottom line by adding a second crop which integrates beautifully into a lavender-based business model, this session will equip you with practical steps to get started
