Get Ready to Grow Smarter: CEA Summit East 2025 Returns to Virginia This September

Growers, Researchers, and Industry Pros Come Together September 9-10 to Share  Ideas, Spark Connections, and Move CEA Forward

 The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East will return to the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia on September 9-10, 2025 for its fourth edition. Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center, a partnership between IALR and Virginia Tech, the 2025 event will once again bring together professionals from across the CEA spectrum—academia, business, and technology—for two days of education, networking, and exploration of the future of indoor farming.

Building on the success of the 2024 summit, which welcomed attendees from 35 U.S. states and international markets including Canada, the Netherlands, and Hong Kong, the 2025 event will feature an expanded conference program with key educational tracks:

• CEA Skills (topics like lighting, IPM, food safety, environmental controls, and pathogen ID)
• Business (budgeting, operations, labor management)
• Education, Outreach & Workforce Training (K-12 programs, CEA degree paths, training initiatives)

The popular CEA Industry & Research Showcase sessions also return to the agenda, spotlighting case studies and research from leading growers and academic teams. Attendees can also look forward to inspiring keynotes (to be announced soon), tabletop exhibits, networking opportunities and tours of the CEA Innovation Center.

In addition to educational sessions and networking, attendees will have the opportunity to explore tabletop exhibits featuring the latest innovations, products, and services driving the CEA sector forward. Exhibitors include industry leaders like Priva, Pace 49, Atlas Greenhouse, Rimol Greenhouse Systems, SGS, and Green Food Solutions.. These suppliers offer solutions spanning environmental controls, crop protection, structures, testing, and more—giving attendees a hands-on look at the tools shaping the future of indoor growing.

“CEA Summit East has become a key annual event for connecting the dots between industry and academia,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO of Indoor Ag-Con. “Whether you’re a grower, educator, researcher, supplier, or policymaker, the 2025 summit offers a wonderful opportunity to learn, network, and move the needle forward for controlled environment agriculture.”

Dr. Scott Lowman, Vice President of Applied Research at IALR and Co-Director of the CEA Innovation Center, added, “The 2025 Summit will build on the momentum we’ve created over the past three years. We’re excited to welcome new voices, and continue to support the industry’s growth through innovation and shared knowledge.”

Registration, speaking opportunities, and tabletop exhibit space applications are now open.  For more details and updates, visit the event website www.ceasummit.com

About Indoor Ag-Con:
Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con has emerged as the largest trade show and conference for vertical farming | greenhouse | controlled environment agriculture. Its events are crop-agnostic and touch all sectors of the business, covering produce, legal cannabis | hemp, alternate protein and non-food crops. For more information, visit www.indoor.ag

About the CEA Innovation Center:
The Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center is a joint project between Virginia Tech, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), and industry that is working to advance the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) sector in Virginia, the U.S., and internationally through leveraging its collective resources, skills, and expertise by addressing the needs of the industry with   research, education, and extension programs. For more information, visit www.ceaic.org