Please note: all OHA events are scent-free.

Daytime schedule for Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning

• Morning meetings start at 8:45 am with the early bird door prize drawings. You need to be present in the room to pick up a prize.
• Formal proceedings start at 9 am.
• The OHA AGM makes up the first part of all three mornings and includes the minutes from the previous year, the Secretary’s report, nominations (called once each day), the OHA Mission Statement, the President’s Report, In Memoriam, the Treasurer’s Report, and resolutions.
• “Voting Delegates” are identified by their home Society/Club to represent and to vote on the behalf of their Society/Club or are members of the OHA Board of Directors or are Past Presidents of the OHA. When they register, these voting delegates receive a voting card which is to be used for AGM voting. Only voting delegates may carry and cast a proxy vote.
• Attendees at the Convention have paid a Registration fee however they are not a voting delegate unless they meet the criteria noted in the previous bullet.
• Any member of a Society/Club who is In Good Standing with their Society/Club may attend, at the AGM only, on each day of the Convention and AGM.
• The rest of the attendees of the convention have paid a registration fee but may not vote during the AGM.
• The resolutions that will be voted on at the convention are posted in the Trillium and on the website in May.
• There is a featured speaker each morning following the AGM meeting.
• Lunch is usually noon to 1 pm.
• Bus tours and seminars are held at the same time during the afternoons. You will have to choose between taking a tour or staying for the seminars.
• Bus tours are offered on Friday and Saturday afternoons. They leave at 1:00 pm and run until 4:30 pm. This might mean that you will be asked to congregate at the bus pick-up location before 1:00 pm. It is recommended that you dress for the weather and choose appropriate footwear.
• Seminars run concurrently on Friday and Saturday afternoon. There are 4 or 5 seminars at 1:30 pm until 2:30 pm, with a break from 2:30 to 3:00 pm. There are 4 or 5 different seminars from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. The seminars may or may not be repeated.
• Note: There is generally no food or coffee offered during the afternoon.

Evenings

• Thursday—There may be a tour or special dinner at the discretion of the host district.
• Friday—Dinner, entertainment, and the silent auction reflect the character of the host district. Proceeds from the silent auction are an opportunity for the host district to recoup some of their expenses for planning the convention.
• Saturday—The banquet features the OHA awards presentation and a keynote speaker.
• A cash bar may be available for the Friday and Saturday evening events.

Accommodations

• The hotel contract allows for a block of rooms to be offered for a period of time at a special convention rate.
• You book your room personally, stating that you are part of the OHA Convention, but the OHA has no part in that room booking.
• If you know you are going to the convention, book your hotel room early enough to ensure you receive the convention rate.
• The hotel contract often is based on a number of bedroom nights booked throughout the convention. If you stay at the convention hotel, you help to keep OHA costs down.
• Note that although check-out time for the hotel may be between 11:00 am and noon on Sunday, our meeting runs until noon. You will need to plan your morning accordingly.

Meals

• Meals are arranged through the OHA registrar via your registration form and are not part of your registration fee. Hotel food is expensive, but the food is also a commitment that the OHA makes to the hotel. Buying your meals through the OHA helps keep other costs down.
• Meals sold through registration usually include lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday.
  Competitions
• Competition schedules are available as follows:
  • Photography is published in the fall, 18 months in advance of the convention to allow for one full year to take photos.
  • Youth competition schedules are released in August of the year before the convention to allow for a full school year of youth programming to plan entries.
  • Art, Creative Writing, Publications, and Flower Show schedules are released in the Trillium and on the website in November of the year before the convention.Note that each schedule outlines the rules about registering to exhibit prior to the convention. Some of these competitions have early cut-off dates for registering your society’s publications, or indicating your desire to enter a design. Check the dates!
• Usually, you may deliver your exhibits on Thursday evening, and early Friday morning.
• Competition rooms are open for viewing from noon on Friday to the end of programming on Saturday afternoon.
• Check schedules for details.
• Exhibits can be picked up and prizes are paid out on Sunday morning. Check schedules for details.

OHA Supplies—Supplies are sold at the convention and include OHA pins, certificates, note cards, etc. You can see the full list of items here.

OHA In Memoriam Book—View the names of gardeners for whom a memorial donation has been made to the OHA. This book is benevolently looked after by Marilyn Cox, from Lake Simcoe Gardeners.

OHA Tree Planting—As part of each Convention, a tree is planted and dedicated by the OHA President to commemorate the Convention in the host District. Tree plantings may happen during the Convention or prior to the Convention.

Vendors—During Friday and Saturday, vendors will be offering goods or services for sale. Products may include the wares of local artisans, plants, garden décor, garden tours, insurance etc.

Exhibitors—These tables, such as Master Gardeners of Ontario, offer information.

Please Note:

• The meeting rooms in most hotels are often chilly, and you may wish to bring a sweater. It is easier to warm up that way, and kinder to the people who are bothered by being hot, than adjusting the air conditioning.
• For the Saturday night Banquet, some of the attendees change into dressier clothes.
• Silent Auction—Bidding occurs on Friday only, all day until dinner.

A silent auction features donated items displayed on a table. In front of each item will be a bidding sheet listing the approximate retail value of the item, the minimum starting bid, and the acceptable bidding increments (e.g., increases of $.50, $1, $5 etc.). If you wish to bid on an item, print your name on the sheet and the amount of your bid. The next bidder must offer a higher amount, increasing their bid by the posted acceptable increment amount.

For example, if the minimum bid is $15 with allowable increases of $1, and you bid $15, the next person must up the bid by at least $1 (to $16), and so on.

If you really want an item that you bid on, be sure to check back before the bidding closes to make a final bid. When the bidding closes, the bidding sheets are removed by volunteers and the last person who placed a bid gets the item for the amount of their bid.

Closing time for bidding varies by groupings of items, with the group being identified by different colours or letters of bidding sheets.

Payment for Silent Auction items is usually cash only. Cheques or credit cards may be offered at the discretion of the hosting District.