Watch Laura Daluga, AIFD, create a spectacular spiral hand-tied bouquet in just 11 minutes.
What do a protea, Moscow Mule mug and a troll doll have in common? These are three “tools” Laura Daluga, AIFD, has used to surprise and delight customers at her shop, Department of Floristry, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
On Sunday, January 14, she’ll return to the 1-Day Profit Blast stage to headline the Society of American Florists’ Omaha event, sponsored by the Bill Doran Company. There, she’ll share secrets for appealing to customers’ emotions, including nostalgia and compassion; drawing more foot traffic; connecting with millennials (she is one herself); capitalizing on negative space to create show-stopping designs while keeping COGS low and embracing techniques that increase efficiency.
Daluga has given her presentation, sponsored by Smithers-Oasis, at SAF 1-Day Profit Blast events in Philadelphia and Boston to rave reviews.
“Laura gave a really enjoyable presentation,” said Karen Laich, manager of Flower Girl Florist in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, who attended the Philadelphia event. “It was refreshing to meet someone young in the industry and great to gain some insights into the mind of the millennial shopper.”
“She definitely exceeded my expectations,” said June Alexandra, a designer at Blooms & Greens in Roslindale, Massachusetts. “Laura gave very useful ideas to be more relevant and made it perfectly clear that we all need to embrace changes.”
A fourth-generation florist, Daluga grew up in her parents’ flower shop and honed her design style for 10 years in the highly competitive Chicago event market before opening the Department of Floristry. She specializes in one-off special events and corporate designs, floral sculpture and fleur couture (clothing made of flowers).
During her presentation, “Exceeding the Design Demands of Today’s Gift Givers,” Daluga will showcase five key consumer movements: sustainable design, co-creation, “made for me,” fighting for a cause and subscription-based products. She will show participants specific ways to design and promote sustainable floral arrangements, embrace the DYO (design your own) movement, interpret personal style in designs, attract millennials through cause-based design and much more.
Inducted into the American Institute of Floral Designers in 2015, Daluga has coordinated the Art of Floral Exhibit at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, designed at the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Art In Bloom show and the fleur couture runway show Fleurotica at Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory, and won People’s Choice in the Iron Designers Americas Competition at the 2016 International Floral Expo.
In addition to Dalugua’s design presentation, SAF’s 1-Day Profit Blast in Omaha includes “Build the Perfect Sales Script” by Tim Huckabee, president of FloralStrategies, LLC, and “A Roadmap for Profitable Deliveries” by Paul Goodman, MBA, CPA, PFCI, president of Floral Finance Business Services. Participants also will have opportunities to network and peruse the Supplier Showcase, where floral industry vendors share their newest products.
The cut-off date for guaranteeing the SAF room rate at the 1-Day Profit Blast hotel is December. 22. It is $139 for members and $189 for non-members, and just $99 for additional registrants from the same company. Early registration ends January 4, and saves you $60. For details and to register, visit safnow.org/1-day–profit–blast.
