ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Society of American Florists' 1-Day Profit Blast heads to Detroit, the historic heart of America's automotive business and Motown music, on Sunday, May 20.
The popular educational event, now in its fifth year, covers topics such as profitable design, customer service, technology trends and marketing strategies along with a Supplier Showcase in an eight-hour period.
Gary Tharnish, NAFD, PFCI, of Burton & Tyrrell's Flowers, Inc., in Lincoln, Nebraska, went to January's Profit Blast in Omaha. "I will make more money this year because of attending this event," he said. "That is certain." He also appreciated the opportunity to bond with other florists in attendance. "It's nice to know you are not out in the middle of the ocean in a boat by yourself," he said.
SAF 1-Day Profit Blast in Detroit returns three speakers from the Omaha program and features a new session, "Mastering QuickBooks for Quick Profits," by Michael Pugh, AAF, of Pugh's Flowers in Memphis.
"More than 29 million small business owners in the U.S. use QuickBooks, but only a fraction realize just how much this software can do," said Pugh, who has been a QuickBooks user since it came out in 1983.
Pugh will demonstrate little-known functions that will help you increase efficiency and make smart purchasing, marketing and operational decisions. He'll also walk through common pain points and answer participants' questions. (To submit some, email Michael@pughs.com.)
SAF's 1-Day Profit Blast in Detroit also features the following presentations:
- Fourth-generation florist Laura Daluga, AIFD, of The Department of Floristry in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will share enchanting designs that maximize negative space and thoughtful ways to appeal to consumers' emotions in "Exceeding the Demands of Today's Gift Givers," a presentation sponsored by Smithers-Oasis.
- Rakini Chinery, AAF, AzMF, owner of Allan's Flowers in Prescott, Arizona, has made increasing her online visibility a top priority and has consequently converted a number of third-party shoppers to direct clients, drastically improving profitability and customer satisfaction. She'll explain how she did it in "Driving Local Orders to Your Shop."
- Sales and customer service guru Tim Huckabee, the founder of Floral Strategies, will break down bad habits that drag sales numbers and simple tweaks to reverse them in "Smart Selling."
Nordlie and Kennicott Brothers Company are sponsoring the SAF 1-Day Profit Blast in Detroit. "We hope all our customers can attend this solid day of design, sales, e-commerce and profitability seminars," said general manager Tom Figueroa AIFD, MCF.
Hortica is sponsoring the networking breaks and lunch. Previous underwriters have included DWF Wholesale, Frank Adams, Greenleaf, DVFlora and The Bill Doran Company. In addition, Syndicate Sales, Rio Roses, Smithers-Oasis and Design Master color tool, Inc. have sponsored the design program at several of the previous events.
The cut-off date for guaranteeing the SAF room rate at the 1-Day Profit Blast hotel is May 4, which is also the deadline for early-bird registration. Early-bird registration saves you $60 and is $139 for members and $189 for non-members — and just $99 for additional participants from the same company. For more information and to register, go to safnow.org/1-day-profit-blast.
Save the Dates: Additional SAF 1-Day Profit Blasts will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Sunday, July 15 sponsored by the Bill Doran Company; and Portland, Oregon on Sunday, October 7, sponsored by Frank Adams Wholesale. For details, go to safnow.org/1-day-profit-blast.
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About SAF
The Society of American Florists is the leading organization representing all segments of the floral industry. SAF is proud to provide marketing, business and government services to its members, including growers, wholesalers, retailers, suppliers, importers, educators, designers and allied organizations. The association was chartered by an act of Congress in 1884. To learn more about SAF or to join, visit safnow.org.
Source: Society of American Florists
