Florists in 41 states and 100 cities already have committed to local Petal It Forward events on Oct. 19. The goal is to get participation in all 50 states, with events on Oct. 19, to improve the industry’s chances for exposure through the national news and social media.
Florists of all sizes are encouraged to participate in Petal It Forward on Oct. 19. SAF has tools, including talking points, templates and step-by-step instructions to make any event a big success.
For the second year, the Society of American Florists is helping florists spread the message to consumers that flowers are tied to good feelings — and the movement is picking up serious momentum.
At press time, florists in 41 states and 100 cities already had notified SAF of plans to hold a local Petal It Forward event in their community on Oct. 19. That leaves only nine states to go — Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah — for industry participation in all 50 states.
That broad support is critical to the overall success of the feel-good campaign, which encourages industry members to surprise consumers with two “random” bouquets, one to keep and one to share, said SAF’s Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sparks. The local events will coincide with an SAF flower giveaway On Oct. 19 in New York City.
“The more people we have participating on Oct. 19, the better chance of national news exposure and social media,” Sparks said.
The exposure benefits everyone who sells flowers. Last year, the inaugural Petal It Forward event included representation from industry members in 27 states and 44 cities. The campaign reached more than 212 million people, far beyond those who actually received flowers.
“An event like Petal It Forward has huge benefits for the industry,” Sparks said. “It positions your business as a positive force in your community.”
Planning a Petal It Forward event is easy. SAF has assembled step-by-step instructions, templates, timelines, talking points and much more to help businesses of any size create a memorable event. In addition, any business that fills out the participation form by Oct. 5 will be included on the list of Petal It Forward events SAF is sending to national media.
Find out much more about the event and start gathering the easy-to-use tools you need to plan your event at safnow.org/pif.
Don’t forget to follow SAF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for regular updates on the campaign and industry members’ participation, as well as Aboutflowers.com on Facebook and Flower Factor on Twitter.
Read additional ideas from last year’s event in the August issue of Floral Management.
