Mar 21st 2025
Indoor Ag-Con Show in Las Vegas - 2025 Recap & Review
Conference Tracks and Breakouts
Indoor AG-Con Expo Floor
Some Takeaways from the Show
A Favorite Moment
Final Thoughts
Indoor AG-Con Expo Floor
Some Takeaways from the Show
A Favorite Moment
Final Thoughts
The Indoor AG Convention https://indoor.ag/ is an annual trade show specializing in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and vertical farming. Growers, vendors, suppliers and other stakeholders in the industry gather every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the largest gathering of industry folks and companies in the indoor growing space. Indoor Ag-Con hosts over a thousand people and more than a hundred different companies from all over the world!
This year, the event was held March 10 – 11, 2025 at the Westgate Resort and Casino and our ALTO Garden staff was able to go! Here is our recap and Indoor Ag-Con review, reflecting back on what we experienced at the show.
The vertical farming and controlled environment agriculture industry is BIG. The number of exhibits exceeded our expectations. There are so many CEA farms, growers, vendors and suppliers… not just in the United States, but all over the world. In fact – the number of indoor greenhouses per capita in the United States is actually quite small compared to other countries. A lot of that has to do with the fact there is so much land in the U.S. compared to say, South Korea. But still, the industry growth potential over the next decade in America is huge and you could feel it in the air walking around the show.
We really enjoyed the Expo Theater Session, “Introducing Indoor Farming to K-12 Education.” ALTO Garden Hydroponic Towers are in schools across the country and have been introduced to many children. There are so many reasons why vertical hydroponic towers are beneficial in the classroom. Children can learn the biological processes and requirements of seed germination and plant growth. They can learn to eat healthier, instead of relying on ultra-processed food which is becoming more and more prevalent in kids’ diets these days. They learn the economics of growing, and the business of farming. And they see can see the towers grow before their eyes every day. It was a great topic and there were a lot of people in the audience, from both the educator and industry sides.
But there was one moment in particular, that really resonated with us. It kinda encapsulated why so many people were at the show, and why CEA has the momentum it has.
After the K-12 Education Session, while the expo crew were readying the next panel, we met Tahitha Bugg from Virginia State University. Tabitha belongs to a community outreach program funded and chartered by the university, where she works with farms throughout Virginia to increase their cultivation rates and keep farms producing at an optimal level. Tabitha mentioned there are many outdoor soil-based farms in Virginia, where farmers have reached retirement age and are looking to pass the farm on to their children. But the problem is, their children have seen their parents working so hard and so long over their lives, they don’t want to inherit the business. Farmers’ hours are not bankers’ hours. It’s a lot of hard work maintaining a farm.
Tabitha’s solution? Indoor hydroponics. Scaling down an outdoor farm into a greenhouse a fraction of the size, by utilizing hydroponic and vertical growing methods. Lighting can still be naturally provided by the sun, but watering is automated and vastly more efficient with less water waste. But the real payoff is increased production and more crop turnarounds per year. With hydroponics the nutrient and fertilizer regimen can be specifically tailored for different plant species. For example, lettuce needs more nitrogen than tomatoes. Basil needs more potassium than spinach. The application and timing of supplying these nutrients to plant roots can be more finely controlled with hydroponic and aeroponic systems. All of this leads to increased yield with less work.
Pivoting a large outdoor soil-based farm to hydroponics is no easy task. But with Tabitha’s help, farms in Virginia are making the switch. She consults with farmers and introduces them to hydroponic equipment suppliers, working on design plans and migrating the production. Tabitha is staying true to the state’s goal of optimizing cultivation rates of Virginia’s farms, with hydroponics.
This year, the event was held March 10 – 11, 2025 at the Westgate Resort and Casino and our ALTO Garden staff was able to go! Here is our recap and Indoor Ag-Con review, reflecting back on what we experienced at the show.
Conference Tracks and Breakouts
The show was filled with a lot of content including keynote addresses from leaders in the industry. Keynote addresses were held first thing in the morning, followed by breakout sections. There were different “tracks” to choose for the breakout sessions such as the “Technical Growing” track or the “Planning & Operations” track with sessions dedicated towards that track, although you can jump around and attend whatever session you want. The individual breakout sessions covered topics such as:
- Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and the Service Industry – bringing indoor-grown food to restaurants, cafes, eateries and hotels. How these establishments look for fresh, locally sourced produce.
- Emerging Crops in CEA – we all know leafy greens, herbs and vining plants are popular with hydroponics and indoor growing. But new plants are beginning to establish their roots in controlled environments too.
- Maximizing Yield Starts with High Quality Seeds – featuring a panel of seed experts, providing a walk-through of how to find the best seeds to maximize yield.
- Optimizing Nutrition and Fertilizers – the newest trends of nutrient blends and fertilizers being applied to CEA. Which nutrients to choose for specific species, and also how to maximize nutrient uptake.
Indoor AG-Con Expo Floor
There is an Expo Floor on both days of the show, where vendors and suppliers exhibited their products and services for indoor agriculture. These exhibits included plenty of hydroponic equipment, vertical gardens, lighting, growing mediums and substrates, nutrients, fertilizers and more. The first day was quite a whirlwind getting a lay of the land and meeting so many companies in the space. We had so much fun networking with people from the indoor growing community. A lot of business cards were handed out and received!
There were also Expo Theater Sessons as well which were mostly featured as a panel + moderator format. These sessions were held on the expo floor itself, off to the side with curtains drawn up to separate the theater sessions from all the exhibits. Topics included:
- The Future of Vertical Farming – vertical farming is not new so there are plenty of lessons to be learned for future success. Sharing experiences of vertical farming, what worked and what didn’t, and how to keep an eye on profitability.
- Trends and Developments in Aquaponics – why grow plants when you can grow plants and fish at the same time? Both are highly nutritious as a food source, and both can be grown together in the same environment in a highly efficient manner.
- Introducing Indoor Farming to K-12 Education – Growing plants in the classroom is an excellent way for young students to get introduced to plant cultivation and horticulture. Not only the science, but learning to eat healthy and the economics and business of growing.
Some Takeaways from the Show
Indoor Ag-Con was impressive. From the people, exhibits, breakout sessions and content delivered – everything was first class and well organized. Especially the happy hour! Yes – there was a happy hour at the end of the first day complete with hors d’oeuvres and plenty of networking. There’s no better place to have happy hour than in Las Vegas, and it was a jovial atmosphere for sure. Surely a lot of people put in a lot of work leading up to, and getting ready for the event. You could see some relief in their body language and smiles on peoples’ faces, unwinding after a long but successful day.The vertical farming and controlled environment agriculture industry is BIG. The number of exhibits exceeded our expectations. There are so many CEA farms, growers, vendors and suppliers… not just in the United States, but all over the world. In fact – the number of indoor greenhouses per capita in the United States is actually quite small compared to other countries. A lot of that has to do with the fact there is so much land in the U.S. compared to say, South Korea. But still, the industry growth potential over the next decade in America is huge and you could feel it in the air walking around the show.
We really enjoyed the Expo Theater Session, “Introducing Indoor Farming to K-12 Education.” ALTO Garden Hydroponic Towers are in schools across the country and have been introduced to many children. There are so many reasons why vertical hydroponic towers are beneficial in the classroom. Children can learn the biological processes and requirements of seed germination and plant growth. They can learn to eat healthier, instead of relying on ultra-processed food which is becoming more and more prevalent in kids’ diets these days. They learn the economics of growing, and the business of farming. And they see can see the towers grow before their eyes every day. It was a great topic and there were a lot of people in the audience, from both the educator and industry sides.
A Favorite Moment
But there was one moment in particular, that really resonated with us. It kinda encapsulated why so many people were at the show, and why CEA has the momentum it has.
After the K-12 Education Session, while the expo crew were readying the next panel, we met Tahitha Bugg from Virginia State University. Tabitha belongs to a community outreach program funded and chartered by the university, where she works with farms throughout Virginia to increase their cultivation rates and keep farms producing at an optimal level. Tabitha mentioned there are many outdoor soil-based farms in Virginia, where farmers have reached retirement age and are looking to pass the farm on to their children. But the problem is, their children have seen their parents working so hard and so long over their lives, they don’t want to inherit the business. Farmers’ hours are not bankers’ hours. It’s a lot of hard work maintaining a farm.
Tabitha’s solution? Indoor hydroponics. Scaling down an outdoor farm into a greenhouse a fraction of the size, by utilizing hydroponic and vertical growing methods. Lighting can still be naturally provided by the sun, but watering is automated and vastly more efficient with less water waste. But the real payoff is increased production and more crop turnarounds per year. With hydroponics the nutrient and fertilizer regimen can be specifically tailored for different plant species. For example, lettuce needs more nitrogen than tomatoes. Basil needs more potassium than spinach. The application and timing of supplying these nutrients to plant roots can be more finely controlled with hydroponic and aeroponic systems. All of this leads to increased yield with less work.
Pivoting a large outdoor soil-based farm to hydroponics is no easy task. But with Tabitha’s help, farms in Virginia are making the switch. She consults with farmers and introduces them to hydroponic equipment suppliers, working on design plans and migrating the production. Tabitha is staying true to the state’s goal of optimizing cultivation rates of Virginia’s farms, with hydroponics.
