The seed industry is ready to come together after a challenging year. We may not be able to do it in person, but there’s no question that the seed industry runs on the connections we make each year at America’s largest seed industry conference. This year will be bigger than ever, with the virtual format breaking down all previous barriers to participation that will allow a broader, newer, and much larger audience than we’ve ever seen.

Q. What will it be like?

A. 2020 has seen a long list of virtual events. Some have been outstanding, while others were barely tolerable. What makes the CSS & Seed Expo Virtual different is the way it has been custom built for the seed industry. This is not a series of Zoom webinars. This is not an intimidating technology hurdle to overcome.  Instead, ASTA has built the CSS & Seed Expo Virtual to be an intuitive, easy-to-use platform with an extended life span, offering in about three clicks the opportunity to view, search, and easily schedule appointments with other attendees. We’ve built in multiple engagement opportunities, on video, so that you can still visit the Big Bar and bump into people you haven’t seen in a while to catch up. The virtual Seed Expo will feature product demonstrations, specialized tour events like the Ag Tech Innovations Showcase, and fun games and great prizes – allowing our exhibitors to show you much more about their products and services than what they ever could’ve shipped to Chicago. And yes – the sessions will be more important for you to attend than ever, as we hear from the industry’s largest players in our “Majors’ Crystal Ball” general session as well as Dan Basse’s ever-popular global economic forecast for 2021. All this is offered in a streamlined schedule, from December 7 – 9 that you can quickly and easily access from your own home.

Q. What will it cost?

A. ASTA is offering an 80% discount over the regular pricing at our in-person conference. We want to build the largest-ever CSS audience this year to maximize the networking for everyone. “First Access” registration, prior to September 15, will be an even deeper discount -  just $75 for members/$150 for non-members, which will also include a copy of the traditional printed ASTA Attendee Roster booklet, for our U.S. registrants.

Q. Why should I use the ASTA event to schedule appointments instead of just scheduling my own?

A. In a word, audience. You certainly could schedule your own appointments with people you already know. But as we said, this year’s audience will be breaking every attendance record for this event, AND we will be match-making you to other attendees an exhibitors based on your personal needs/preferences, to help connect you to the new people you never knew you wanted to meet. New business connections will be handed right to you – and if your company wants to use our platform for events much longer than December 7 – 9 – it’s available right away for scheduling. What’s more, your company can even setup a virtual private company meeting room, branded with your logo, your video, your sense of arrival – and even link it to your own preferred meeting link if you want to. Why sift through all of your contacts lists, spend hours parsing through data, when you can instead search and set up your whole list of meetings in a few clicks?