Building alliances, sharing information, and forging new connections were key themes that drove the September 19-20, 2023, edition of the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East held at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia.
Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the Virginia Tech- IALR Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center (a partnership between the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech, the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, and IALR), the 2nd annual edition attracted 240 attendees from 33 U.S. states, Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden, including growers, educators, scientists, Virginia Cooperative Extension specialists, suppliers, engineers, tech specialists, architect/developers and other industry members.
During the day and one-half event, attendees enjoyed quality time to meet, network, and learn during keynotes, panels, and breakout conference sessions; explored 21 tabletop exhibits presenting the latest innovations and services; and enjoyed a host of networking opportunities.
“It’s exciting to see this event grow in both attendance and vendor/sponsor support,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO of Indoor Ag-Con. “Together with the CEA Innovation Center, we’re building a strong event where business and academia unite to drive our industry forward.”
“The CEA Summit exemplifies the collaborative spirit that defines our mission,” said Scott Lowman, Co-Director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center and Vice President of Applied Research, IALR. “It’s rewarding to see industry leaders from all sectors of CEA convene here to share lessons learned, best practices, research findings, and ways to help accelerate our collective growth.”
For more information:
Indoor Ag-Con 
www.indoor.ag