ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Within days after nearly 450 industry members gathered for SAF Amelia Island 2015, the Society of American Florists' 131st annual convention in Amelia Island, Florida in September, the growers, wholesalers, retailers and suppliers who attended began setting ideas and connections into action.
“We reviewed [our notes] on the drive home, made up lists on Sunday, presented [ideas] to our staff and started implementing on Monday,” said Ed Hampton of Oviedo Florist in Oviedo, Florida. “We estimate the ideas will easily raise two to three times the cost of the convention in increased revenue,” he said.
Several hundred miles to the north, first-time attendee Kristen Brown of Rutland Beard Floral Group in Catonsville, Maryland, embraced a similar strategy. “I flew home with a to-do list and many ideas that I plan to put into practice very soon,” said the newly appointed store manager.
This year's convention drew 101 first-time attendees. “Great speakers kept it interesting, and the content was very relevant and helpful to my business,” said Brown. She paid special attention to “Demystifying Google,” featuring Google solutions architect Loren Hudziak, who provided both big picture and nitty-gritty tips on how small business owners can put the mega search engine to more effective use.
Second-time attendee Theresa Colucci, AIFD, PFCI, of Meadowscent Florist in Gardiner, New York, said that Hudziak’s presentation, which was followed up by the breakout session “All About AdWords and Analytics,” led by Google’s Ben Polk, SAF CIO Renato Soguec and Maris Angolia of Karin's Florist in Vienna, Virginia, “helped me grasp the sometimes overwhelming task of constant changing technology and how to use it as a tool to help me move forward.”
Colucci appreciated the candid talk that took place during “Funeral Directors Tell All,” which featured insight (and time for questions and discussion) from three funeral directors on why they develop relationships with local florists (or opt not to). “[The panel] prompted me to make a long overdue appointment with my local funeral director in hopes to better our relationship,” she said.
First-time attendee Tom Dowd of Water Mill Flowers in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, said sales and customer service consultant Tim Huckabee’s presentations, “Sales Management for Wimps,” and “Test Calls Workshop: Raising the Bar on Floral Shop Sales,” were standout moments in a packed three-day calendar. Based on what he learned, Dowd said his shop had “already changed a few things on talking to customers, to listen better to their needs.” He also said they “will be ordering fresh and hard goods from a few new vendors,” found at the convention.
Veteran convention attendee Eddie Kraft of Nanz & Kraft Florists in Louisville, Kentucky, was impressed by the tech-forward session “There’s an App for That,” presented by Kate Delaney of Matlack Florist, outside of Philadelphia, and Charles Ingrum of Dr. Delphinium Design & Events in Dallas. “[They] provided us with great ideas on how apps and fee-based services that can help you to be more efficient on everything from hiring to scheduling weddings and events,” Kraft said.
Meanwhile, advice on how to transform workplace cultures into service-first environments from keynote speaker Alexandra Valentin of The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center was “so right on…I took notes the whole time,” said Bonnie Hawley of Hawley’s Florist in Rutland, Vermont.
The trends forecasting sessions revved up attendees like Kristen Gainan of Gainan’s Flowers & Garden Center in Billings, Montana. She got a charge out of “2016 Floral Trends Preview” with power couple Kristine Kratt, AIFD, PFCI, and Bill Schaffer, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, of Schaffer Designs; along with “What They Want, Baby You’ve Got It (or do you?)” and “Trend TalkBack” with Daniel Levine of Wikitrend.org and the Avant-Guide Institute.
Eyeing a calendar creeping toward December and then February, Gainan found “Holiday Hacks to Slash Stress and Boost Profits,” equally exciting. It delivered “really insightful ideas that I could actually take back and utilize” right away, she said.
Still, for many attendees, the biggest takeaway from SAF Amelia Island 2015 isn’t a lesson, trend, or new product, but an emotional pay-off and sense of connection to the larger industry — not to mention the chance to take a step back from the day-in, day-out grind of running a small business.
“The energy and information you receive during a program floods your brain,” Colucci said. “The wheels start turning and suddenly you take this information, put a twist on it, and come up with your own ideas that are relevant to your business.”
The convention’s myriad networking opportunities are “priceless,” according to Gainan. “It is great to see everyone from year to year and hear [their] successes,” she said. “I always go home with a wealth of knowledge and am ready to take on the upcoming holidays with excitement.”
See photos from SAF Amelia Island at Flickr.com/SocietyOfAmericanFlorists.
Source: Society of American Florists
