About
ABOUT CEAg WORLD
Operations that are
BUILT TO LAST.
NOVEMBER 10–11, 2026 • CHARLOTTE–CONCORD, NC
CEAg World is a grower-first business forum for greenhouse produce operations, hybrid field-greenhouse growers, and indoor farms. The focus is simple: better decisions, stronger margins, and practical ideas you can start using immediately.
WHAT MAKES CEAg WORLD DIFFERENT
Built around the grower’s P&L, not the latest buzzword.
Controlled environment agriculture is full of possibility, but possibility does not pay the bills. CEAg World focuses on the realities that determine whether a produce business scales or stalls: economics, buyer relationships, technology decisions, crop performance, labor, energy, food safety, and market access.
That is why our event is designed around peer exchange, hands-on discussion, and direct access to practical solutions rather than a parade of product pitches. Every part of the experience is designed to make the conversation more useful, more candid, and closer to the decisions growers actually make.
Grower Insight Sessions
These sessions put growers on center stage to tackle the real problems growers are facing right now — from food safety and FSMA compliance to profitability, marketing, diversification, and how much tech you actually need. Whatever your crop or operation type, there's a session built around the challenge you're solving, not a generic overview.
Profitability-first programming
Automation, energy, labor, food safety, capital and crop decisions are discussed through the lens that matters: what improves the operation and what actually pencils.
Collaborative problem-solving
Small, facilitated working groups turn shared challenges into shared takeaways. Not another panel to watch passively, but a room designed for operators to solve problems together.
Direct buyer access
We put growers closer to the people making procurement decisions. Hear what buyers are looking for, ask direct questions, and understand what gets a product on shelf and keeps it there.
WHAT THE EXPERIENCE IS BUILT TO DO
Turn two days of conversation into practical next steps for your business.
The CEAg World model connects the parts of the business that are often discussed separately. Production affects cost. Cost affects margin. Market access affects crop strategy. The right technology only matters if the business case works.
Grow Better
Crop performance, troubleshooting, yield and plant health
Manage Costs
Energy, labor, inputs and operational efficiency
Scale Smarter
Automation ROI, capital and technology decisions
Run Stronger
Workforce, food safety and resilient operations
Sell More
Buyer expectations, positioning and market access
THE PEOPLE SHAPING WHAT’S NEXT
A cross-section of CEA that looks like the industry itself.*
93%
Purchase Influence
93% of attending commercial growers either make the final purchase decision or recommend/specify purchases.
70%
Technology-Focused
70% of attending growers identified farming technology, including automation, lighting, climate control and hydroponics, as a learning priority.
65%
Infrastructure-Focused
65% of attending growers were interested in greenhouse structures, equipment and supplies.
50+
Speakers
Operators, researchers, executives and specialists sharing practical expertise.
30+
U.S. States Represented
Commercial growers traveled from across the country to participate.
*Based on 2025 CEAg World event data.
Crop Rotations
Roundtable discussion groups by crop type
Advisory Board
Kait Bowdler
Sr. Manager, Growth Ops and Sustainability Partnerships
Cox Farms
Zack Jones
Production Controller
The Chef's Garden
John McMahon
President
Equinox Growers
Kees Rodenburg
Sales Manager CEA
Enza Zaden
Paul Sellew
CEO
Little Leaf Farms
Pieter Slaman
Founder
GaaS Solutions
Jay Willmot
CEO
Haven Greens
Renato Zardo
Director of Growing
Great Lakes Growers
FROM THE 2025 COMMUNITY
The best proof is what people say after they leave.
There was no gatekeeping; only farmers wanting to help one another.
Garrett Corwin
Owner, Piedmont Microgreens
Very intimate with important people and companies represented.
Andrew Montgomery
Founder, Indoor Farm Foundation
Meeting high caliber company owners and potential buyers like Whole Foods produce managers was a milestone for any grower.
Renato Zardo
Great Lakes Growers
I was able to interact with growers and experts from every aspect of the CEA industry.
Nicholas Testa
Director of Cultivation, Farming Turtles
ROOTED IN AGRICULTURE
Nearly a century of agriculture expertise behind the room.
CEAg World is produced by Meister Media Worldwide, bringing more than 90 years of service to agriculture into a focused event for what is next in greenhouse produce and controlled environments.
This legacy matters because CEAg World is not approaching growers as a trend. It is built on long-standing relationships across specialty crops, produce, horticulture and agricultural technology.
One event. A wider agriculture network.
CEAg World is strengthened by Meister Media Worldwide’s established agriculture communities and year-round industry coverage.
Come for the answers. Leave with a stronger operation.
November 10–11, 2026 · Charlotte–Concord, North Carolina
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Join us in shaping the future of controlled environment agriculture at the CEAg World Conference and Expo. Together, we can cultivate success by Advancing Food Under Cover™
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