Alejandro Pérez; sisters Lenzee and Lacee Bilke; Donald Yim; AIFD, PFCI; Angelyn Tipton, AIFD, GMF; and Eileen Cheng, AIFD, will present hands-on training during a series of five Experience Zone mini demonstrations at SAF Amelia Island 2019.
Ever wish you had a personal trainer at work to help you get up to speed fast on new technology and best practices in service?
This month at SAF Amelia Island 2019, the Society of American Florists’ 135th annual convention, attendees will have the chance to get just that sort of on-the-spot, hands-on training during a series of Experience Zone mini demonstrations that target some of the floral industry’s highest need areas for education and training.
During these mini demos, experts will share advice on a variety of useful topics such as managing your time, creating better videos and photos, handling tropicals and creating impactful packaging.
Here is a brief description of each, along with an example of what you’ll be learn in a short time frame:
If it seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day, Alejandro Pérez, CEO of Komet Sales, is here to help. During his “Time Management Tools,” session, he’ll share valuable time management technology that his team uses to enhance their productivity. Perez will talk specifically about his favorite time-management tools and briefly demonstrate how you can use technology to increase productivity, check off things on your to-do lists and be more organized and efficient.
One of the tools Perez will highlight is Basecamp — “a simple organization tool that anybody can use,” he said.
Want to get some tips to take your photos from lackluster to amazing, eye-catching and memorable on social media? Then “Photo Editing Made Simple” is for you. Sisters Lenzee and Lacee Bilke of Madeline’s Flower Shop in Edmond, Oklahoma, will break out their bag of photo editing tricks and show you how to take your smartphone shots from blah to impressive using apps and techniques that anyone — from shutterbug to photo novice — can master.
“The session will cover our top five photo editing tips and tricks, what photo apps work the best and examples of floral arrangements that get more attention on social media,” said Lenzee. “The session is for anyone who wants to learn new creative ways to take floral photos.”
Videos are also proving to be a successful way to increase your customer engagement and showcase your company’s personality on social media. Donald Yim, AIFD, PFCI, the creative director of West Van Florist in Vancouver, Canada, and an education specialist at Floriology Institute, is known for sharing his passion for flowers, design ideas and industry knowledge through social media videos. During this hands-on session, “Quick Tips for Better Videos,” he’ll share practical advice on how to create memorable, effective videos in a fast and easy format for shops using equipment they may already have at hand.
“My goal is to have every attendee understand how to make videos in a quick and easy way, guiding them step-by-step in prepping the equipment they need, how to record it, and lastly post it, and have fun showing off their work,” said Yim.
Your flowers are beautiful. Your arrangements are stunning, but how you package these products can give them that extra bit of “wow” that makes you stand apart from the rest. Angelyn Tipton, AIFD, GMF, Floriology Institute instructor assistant and course coordinator, will demo different ways to enhance your floral arrangements and your brand with packaging in “Up Your Packaging Game.” Learn how easy it is to develop your unique style as she shares pointers on how to wrap flowers before they go out your shop door using boxes, ribbons, tissue and more.
“Packaging is just as important in wrapped flowers just like an arrangement in a vase, container or basket,” she said. “Most people are surprised at how pretty can be without adding a ton of expense.”
Finally, you know that the vibrant and exotic look of tropical flowers and foliage can add impact to any arrangement. But the native environment of these beauties mean they need special care and handling in terms of humidity levels and temperature. Pick up best practices for opening the flowers and designing with them from Eileen Cheng, AIFD, owner of Yacht Florist in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in “Tropicals! Tips and Tricks and Care and Handling for Arrangements.”
“A lot of designers are not comfortable working with tropicals but I will share some easy tips so they can go home and work confidently with them,” said Cheng.
Find out more about SAF Amelia Island 2019 — including how to sign up and attend and who else in the industry will be there.
Renee Houston Zemanski is a contributing writer to the Society of American Florists.
