Derek Woodruff, AIFD, CF, CFD, PFCI, will present “Tiny Houses, Big Design Opportunities” on July 22 at SAF’s 1-Day Profit Blast in St. Louis. He won the grand prize in the Sylvia Cup Design Competition at SAF Maui 2016.
According to a 2015 survey by the National Association of Home Builders, “millennials, who are entering the home-buying market in larger numbers, are driving down home size.”
“Millennials don’t have as much ready cash or free time as older homeowners, so they are seeking less expensive, more low-maintenance choices for their homes,” wrote Jaci Conroy for The Boston Globe.
Next month, the Society of American Florists will help florists tap into that trend — and the bigger trend of consumers in all age groups cutting back, decluttering and embracing a more minimal aesthetic — with a headlining presentation by Derek Woodruff, AIFD, CF, PFCI, at SAF’s 1-Day Profit Blast in St. Louis on Saturday, July 22.
Woodruff is a floral designer at Darling Botanical Co. and owner of Floral Underground in Traverse City, Michigan. Woodruff began floral designing at 16 and studied the craft at the Jackson Area Career Center, Lansing Community College and Michigan State University before earning professional certifications from the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) and the Michigan Floral Association (MFA).
At SAF’s 1-Day Profit Blast in St. Louis, Woodruff will present “Tiny Houses, Big Design Opportunities,” a hands-on design program sponsored by Syndicate Sales.
His program addresses the “makeunder” trend that millennials have helped usher in.
“Millennials are abandoning the suburban fantasy — white picket fence, two-car garage and swimming pool) — for diminutive dwellings in the city,” Woodruff said. “At the same time, they crave nature and seek ways to incorporate living pieces in their décor.”
SAF’s 1-Day Profit Blast in St. Louis is underwritten by Baisch & Skinner and DWF Wholesale. The program offers a low registration fee of $139 early-bird for members and $99 for each additional registrant from the same company.
Woodruff will share strategies to connect with millennials and creative ways to green their homes. He’ll explain how to create chic designs for small spaces, movements in indoor gardening that retail florists can leverage and how to set up a terrarium bar in your shop.
In addition to Woodruff’s design presentation, SAF’s 1-Day Profit Blast in St. Louis includes programs covering social media marketing, customer service and money management:
- “The Social Selling Mindset” by Crystal Vilkaitis, owner of Crystal Media and one of Floral Management’s newest monthly contributors.
- “Delivering the ‘Wow’ Factor” by Art Conforti, PFCI, owner of Bloomerang Solutions
- “Treasure Hunt: Finding Your Hidden Profits” by Derrick Myers, CPA, CFP, PFCI, president of Crockett, Myers & Associates, Inc.
Participants also will have opportunities to network and peruse the Supplier Showcase, where floral industry vendors share their newest products.
SAF’s 1-Day Profit Blast in St. Louis is underwritten by Baisch & Skinner and DWF Wholesale.
The cut-off date for guaranteeing the SAF room rate at the Profit Blast hotel is June 30. Early registration ends July 11, and saves you $60. For details and to register, visit safnow.org/1-day–profit–blast.
Additional events will be held in Boston on Sept. 23, sponsored by Jacobson Floral Supply; and Louisville, Kentucky on Nov. 4, sponsored by Bill Doran Company.