ASLA 2024
On October 6-9, only a few weeks after our own annual conference in New York, the Olmsted Network participated in the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC.
The ASLA Conference is the largest annual gathering of landscape architects and allied professionals. It includes educational sessions, professional development, networking opportunities and an EXPO featuring over 275 vendors.
This year, our focus was the 125th anniversary of the ASLA and the immense role the Olmsted Brothers firm played in establishing this new profession. Chartered in 1899, ASLA was founded by eleven members, including John Charles Olmsted, who served as the first president, and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. Today, the organization has grown to serve more than 15,000 professionals and students in the field.
Rangers from Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in front of their booth in the ASLA Pavillion. 
Our booth in the ASLA Pavillion on the expo floor. 
Young professionals take a photo with Big Head Fred on the ASLA expo floor. 
Friends of Fairsted Board Member Ian Scherling directs people to the correct field session. 
Friends of Fairsted Board Member Lauren Meier shares information about National Mall. 
View from the White House stairs. 
The White House and President’s Park Superintendent John Stanwich speaks to the group. 
The group admires the White House Rose Garden. 
Olmsted Network Board Member Steve Livengood leads the group on a tour of the US Capitol Grounds.
On October 6, we co-hosted a sold-out field session— Looking Back/Looking Forward: Celebrating and Adapting the Olmsted Legacy in Washington, DC— with our friends at Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site and Friends of Fairsted. Made possible by sponsors at APE Original Studio, attendees were treated to a tour of the White House grounds with The White House and President’s Park Superintendent John Stanwich. Afterwards, attendees toured the US Capitol Grounds with Olmsted Network Board Member Steve Livengood and President & CEO Dede Petri. Friends of Fairsted Board Members Lauren Meier and Ian Scherling provided commentary about the Olmsted firm’s work in the nation’s capital.
The next day, we welcomed conference attendees to our expo booth in the ASLA Pavilion. The wall of our booth showcased a selection of panels from Frederick Law Olmsted: Landscapes for the Public Good. We also distributed brochures providing a history of the US Capitol Grounds and hosted an enter-to-win for two pairs of tickets to Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. That night, our 7-foot-tall caricature of Frederick Law Olmsted— affectionately called Big Head Fred— danced the night away at the ASLA 125th Anniversary Celebration at the National Building Museum.
On October 8, our last day of the conference, we continued to meet friends— both old and new— at our expo booth. We also followed Big Head Fred around the expo floor as he mingled with young professionals and landscape architects from across the country.
PGMS 2024
A week later, we headed to Louisville, KY, to visit our partners at Olmsted Parks Conservancy and speak at the Professional Grounds Management Society’s (PGMS) annual conference.
PGMS’ conference is designed to provide grounds managers with the opportunity to gain knowledge, ask questions and connect with their peers. The interactive programs feature educational seminars on timely topics as well as a pre-conference field trip to Equip Expo.
Olmsted Network President & CEO Dede Petri presented a keynote presentation on “Who is Frederick Law Olmsted— And Why Should You Care” as part of our ongoing partnership with PGMS. In 2022, we were pleased to launch a new Green Star Award, dedicated to Olmsted and other historic properties. In turn, we agreed to provide continuing education at their annual conferences. We offer our congrats to Denison University for receiving the Olmsted Award this year.
Many more images from the ASLA conference are available on our Flickr account.
