March 2023 IFPA Floral Update

March 28, 2023

From IFPA Director of Floral, Deb Zoellick

First of all.  Thank you all for your kind notes, calls and texts and support about becoming Director of Floral at IFPA.  I retired from Walmart, thinking I would be perfectly content being at home but found it was not as exciting as I thought it would be.  Being in the Floral Industry was my life and I needed to get back into it and keep moving.

Exciting Things from the Past Month:

The Anaheim Breeder Showcase at the Floral Conference at Anaheim was extremely successful, and brought breeders and buyers together.  We know that bringing new varieties to market requires a perfect triangle of partners: buyers, growers and breeders. The whole relationship can take years to establish, but there is excitement to connect the breeders and buyers so each can share their perspective and input. Buyers are always excited if they can be the first to market with something new and exciting. These kinds of partner meetings is a great step forward at strengthening that triangle partnership.

We also presented the latest Kantar research and our partners made a great impression on the group attending with their data on future customers. We look forward to having more to share at the upcoming Floral Conference in Miami.

Lastly, 3 young students explained the what, where, and why of their floral purchases during a consumer panel with attendees. They had a lot to share, but in summary: it has a lot to do with moods.

Next year promises to be even more fun so plan to attend this growing event.

I also attended the Dianthus Week in Colombia which was held from 13th to the 17th .   I attended the first couple of days and was able to hear from breeders as they shared some very interesting things coming to the forefront for the Carnation category.    Carnations are coming back in a big way with new varieties and colors.  It was exciting to see what new varieties could draw customers to buy more flowers.

The breeder, Plantec, had an open house in Ecuador last week and I was glad to be able to make it to visit the farm.  They had almost 400 farms show up to see the 6 rose breeders that they represent.   It is a gorgeous farm very conveniently close to the airport and I am thankful for our gracious hosts Carlos and Aviram Krell for letting us visit. 

Pantone had a great color reveal on IFPA Virtual Town Hall March 22nd.  If you missed this presentation, our partners at Pantone review trends in design and color and provide inspiration for how floral can be ahead of the curve for design features. The 2023 Color of the Year is Magenta, with lots of opportunities for floral to match and complement this bright hue.

What’s coming up:

The Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference taking place on April 16-18 is now sold out, but there is a wait list if you hoped to attend.

But mark your calendars and get registered for the upcoming IFPA Floral Conference in Miami. On May 23, we’ll come together to do a deeper dive into the consumer attitude research revealed by Kantar. At this event, we’ll spend more time talking about the consumer purchase journey and the implications for the supply chain.

March 2023 IFPA Floral Update

Additional Press