CITRUS EXPO remains cancelled as per the decision having to be made Monday morning due to weather forecasts and official hurricane center warnings for the area. The Gulf Citrus Growers Association (GCGA) Annual Banquet, however, is still planned for mid-week. We understand many folks are confused. Please be informed, this banquet is not a “Citrus Expo” event. GCGA has held an annual banquet during Citrus Expo week for a number of years. Their banquet is planned, sold, hosted and controlled by GCGA and not officially connected to Citrus Expo in any way. We understand the confusion and hope to resolve it before next year to prevent such confusion in the future. For banquet information, contact GCGA directly at 863-675-2180.
CITRUS EXPO, for the record, is owned and operated by Southeast AgNet Publications. The Citrus Expo event was purchased along with Citrus Industry Magazine from the Frisbie family of Bartow in 2005. As a historical note, Citrus Expo was also cancelled in 2004 when the Lee Civic Center was commandeered by emergency management personnel for use as an operations center. When the area is placed under an official hurricane warning as was done again Monday morning this week, neither Southeast AgNet nor Lee County Civic Center officials are able to take on the added liabilities connected with an event’s set-up and implementation schedule.
With no assurance the facility would be available during or beyond a pending storm event there remains no choice in such circumstance but to cancel such a large venue. Citrus Expo requires a full two-days of preparation, one for the facility and another for exhibitor setup. Additionally, with heavy wind and rains expected to continue well through Wednesday in many other areas of the state’s citrus belt it remains evident many would-be Expo attendees and speakers would also be affected.
SEMINARS! Citrus Expo is presently seeking options to host the seminars at an alternate location within the next few weeks if a place can be confirmed and speakers can be re-scheduled. We are working on this right now and an announcement will be made later this week one way or another. Please stay tuned to http://www.citrusexpo.net/ where the latest confirmed details on this situation will be first announced.
Everyone’s patience and understanding is appreciated.