Industry members feted last year during SAF Amelia Island 2019. SAF will not present industry awards in person or host in person competitions this year.
The Society of American Florists is extending the deadline for coveted industry awards this year to Spring 2021, giving floral community members more time to nominate their peers — and their own businesses — for top industry honors.
The extension applies to SAF’s Paul Ecke, Jr. Award, Gold Medal Award, John H. Walker Award, Alex Laurie Award for Research and Education, Century Award, Tommy Bright Award, and the industry’s highest honor, the Floriculture Hall of Fame. These awards are typically announced each year during SAF’s annual convention. This year, however, the pandemic forced the cancelation of SAF Phoenix 2020, which had been scheduled for September.
“In keeping with government guidelines on crowd size, the SAF executive committee determined it was in the best interest of the industry to postpone SAF Phoenix 2020 — our annual convention and the event where, in a normal year, we’d be celebrating these competitions and award winners,” said Kate Penn, SAF’s CEO. “Fortunately, that means industry members will now have more time to nominate businesses and individuals for these top honors, so that we can celebrate their accomplishments and contributions together in 2021.”
This extension does not apply to the SAF accreditations, including the American Academy of Floriculture and Professional Floral Communicators-International. All 2020 applications for AAF and PFCI were considered earlier this spring and will be announced soon. The 2020 AAF and PFCI designees will be honored along with the 2021 designees at SAF’s 2021 annual convention.
The association’s Awards Committee, chaired by Lori Wheat, AAF, of Lafayette Florist, Gift Shop & Garden Center in Lafayette, Colorado, recommended the extension. “These specific events and honors really can’t be replicated — or celebrated fully — in a virtual way, so we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone, with plans to resume in full once in-person gatherings become a safe option again,” she explained.
Any nominations received for the 2020 honors will automatically be considered by the SAF Awards Committee next year. Find out more about SAF awards.
In addition, SAF will postpone its annual Outstanding Varieties Competition and Sylvia Cup Design Competition until the 2021 annual convention — as well Floral Management’s Marketer of the Year award.
Penn said SAF remains focused on adapting its services to better meet the industry’s need — a strategy that includes the association’s upcoming Reinvention Summit, a five-day virtual event with targeted keynote addresses, panel and breakout sessions each afternoon.
“We know this has been a challenging time for the floral industry,” Penn said. “In creating our Reinvention Summit, we’ve tapped into some of the most respected leaders from inside and outside of our industry to offer multiple pathways forward for participants who are looking for ways to rethink, connect with peers and grow in a smart way through this period.”
Find out more here. SAF members pay $75/day ($125 for Monday’s session) or $249 for the full week. Prospective members pay $150/day ($250 for Monday’s session) or $499 for the full week.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management
