Floral Update: Global Show Recap & What's Next

October 23, 2024

The Global Produce and Floral Show in Atlanta this past week, was AMAZING!  Hope you were there to enjoy all the festivities, and that you booked your orders for the year and sold lots of product.  Some highlights of this year’s show: 

We had the most floral booths ever at GPFS with 153!

A record breaking 93 Floral Banners attended this year and they all brought at least 2 buyers each.

New Floral Marketer of the Year announced- Presented by past recipient Erin Esensee to Jason Levin from Dos Gringos for all he has done over the years for the entire Floral Industry and all the committees he has worked on, most recently the IFPA Floral Committee and the IFPA Executive Committee and those of countless other Floral Organizations.  Jason has been a true leader in the industry over the many years he has served and in his many capacities.  Please help me in sending congratulations to Jason Levin for being the Floral Marketer of the Year for 2024.

If you made it to the Floral Committee Meeting on Thursday afternoon you know it was packed full of ways IFPA and the Floral
Specific Task Forces are helping to make all segments of Floral better in the future.

Hunt Shipman gave updates on what is happening in Washington DC on anything that pertains to Floral.

We had great updates on Sustainability for Floral from Joyce Aerts and a recap of what the IFPA members are most concerned about when it pertains to Floral Sustainability.  This was followed by Alan Campbell about what is coming in the future and a presentation from Debi Chedester about what AFE is doing to help all segments with Sustainabloom.  Check it out.

Greg Kurkjian talked about how to access new information and reports from our FreshProduce.com website.  He talked about how you manipulate the different reports to come up with a specific set of information.  If you are not taking advantage of this data, please start.  This can set a benchmark for your company on what is needed to become a winner.  If we can get more specific input, with pictures and UPCs sent to Circana and Nielsen we can get lots more detail information out of reporting in future.

Jennie Garbarek talked about our efforts in Floral Demand Creation and the success of Girlfriends Day August 1st.  We have data to prove that this holiday was great and all the retailers in the room concurred.  These and many other micro holidays are on our website so you can all make a difference.  It was also suggested that we combine efforts with all of the other Floral Organizations and promote specific dates as an industry.  Among these are: International Women’s Day March 8th,  National Orchid Day August 16th, International Flower Day -Floricienta Yellow Flowers March 21st and September 21st, National Girlfriend’s Day August 1st and National Indoor Plant Week September 14th to the 20th for 2025.  We can all do SO much if we do it together.  Speaking of together, Vanessa Leite talked about That Flower Feeling (and even impromptu with the help of Fabian from HEB) sang the Miley Cyrus song- I Can Buy Myself Flowers.   They were great and I have a feeling they might have done this before.

JC Barrera talked about the Global Expansion Project.  In our first year we got 45% of our new members from outside the US and we are continuing forward with more plans, if you know companies outside of the US please talk up IFPA so we can start learning from each other to raise all boats.

We also discussed the updated Blooming Plant Guide.  We have a member that has volunteered to proof read everything for accuracy, thank you Micky Byland.  We will be listing all the plants that any of the Blooming Plant companies that assisted in this guide, grow as a thank you for helping us get this done.  We will have it up on the IFPA website in 2025.

Last but not least by any means, Cheryl Dawn Smith updated us on the Task Force looking to Collaborate Logistically.  This will get plants at 50-60 degrees F Consolidated by pallet position, up and down the West coast of Canada and California and deconsolidated with more California product added, for retail destinations as far east as Idaho, Colorado and Texas.  This Collaboration, will make transportation less expensive and more efficient and of course, sustainable.  Retailers will be able to get product from many different plant suppliers and specific days of the week to have better flow and fresher product for their customers.  If you are a Member or Not, this Task Force wants to help you and your consumers have a better Plant experience.  Once this is underway, more lanes will be set up to handle different parts of the US and Canada AND will  include Cut Flowers in Different Truck lanes for best efficiencies for ALL.

 If you missed the General Sessions, you missed a lot.  I heard they were all amazing.  The importance of Floral was brought up by many. 

The Floral Reception was quite the event.  Sally Bedwell and her designer had a 70’s theme that sponsors helped create the ambience with plants and flowers.  Thanks to all the sponsors that contributed.  The Elite Flower, A-Roo, Dummen Orange, Colour Republic/Koen Pack, Sakata and Natural Flower!! 

Save the Date for the Breeder Showcase and Floral Conference, this year in Miami February 24-26th.  We start with Behind the Scenes Tours on Monday Morning and End with a Floral Committee Meeting on Wednesday at 1pm.  We have 30 Breeders at this time and 24 Banners/Divisions of Retailers and 2 Wholesalers.  See you there. Retailers and Wholesale Florists let me register you, so you get in Free.

 This is the Link for the Floral Committee Presentation: 

 To get involved with That Flower Feeling, visit their website.

So many wonderfully decorated and thought-out displays were seen at the IFPA Global Floral Show.   The winner of the IFPA In-Line Floral Booth was Dutchess Bouquet and the winner of the IFPA Island Floral Booth was Galleria Farms.  Please congratulate our 2024 winners.  Thank you all for attending and see you next year in Anaheim.

Floral Update: Global Show Recap & What's Next

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