The Society of American Florists’ Next Gen LIVE! event is designed to inspire young floral professionals with the depth and breadth of the floral industry. The event includes a behind-the scenes tour of the Miami airport facilities and distributors.
A journey through the life of a flower from breeding to delivery at a retail flower shop.
A behind-the-scenes tour in which attendees will follow flowers from the tarmac at Miami International Airport to a wholesaler and bouquet maker.
A ‘Chopped’ style tournament in which participants — some of whom have no floral design experience — will team up to compete for bragging rights.
These and other elements of the Society of American Florists’ Next Gen LIVE! event are designed to inspire young floral professionals with the depth and breadth of the floral industry. The new event, July 31 to Aug. 2 in Miami — the epicenter of North America’s flower imports — was planned by and for floral pros age 45 and younger from all segments of the industry and includes educational sessions and time to network.
The airport tour will be eye-opening for anyone who hasn’t seen the importing side of the industry, said Derek Woodruff, AIFD, CF, PFCI, of Floral Underground in Traverse City, Michigan, and a member of SAF’s Next Gen Committee, which planned the event.
“They have no idea where their products come from, the process, how it’s grown, how it gets here,” Woodruff said in a recent Flower Clique podcast, The Business & Pleasure of Flowers, which promoted the event. “Those are really big, huge deals in our industry, and it’s really going to enrich their minds and give them a new perspective on how they order and how they sell.”
In addition to the design competition — sponsored by Syndicate Sales and hosted by Continental Flowers — and the behind-the-scenes tour, the event also includes educational sessions focused on enhancing productivity and leadership skills. See the full schedule here.
The productivity sessions are:
- High Impact, Low Labor and Reducing COGS Design Program: Learn from seasoned design pros how new design trends, techniques and mechanics will increase efficiency and productivity across your design team.
- Social Media Hacks: Learn strategies that you can put into practice right away, as well as how to use TikTok effectively and learning how to actually make a REEL or TOK!
- Photography for Social Media and Your Website: Learn how to efficiently set-up, light and photograph your product, and the tools you’ll need to make it happen.
The leadership sessions include:
- What’s Your Leadership Style?: Understand yourself and your team and the traits that impact each person’s response to expectations to be part of a happier, more productive, and more creative team.
- How to Lead When You’re a Young Boss: Learn communication tools for multigenerational leadership, how to be a young boss and earn respect, and how “expectations” shape your reality.
- Expanding Your Brand: Learn how renowned floral industry brands from all segments created and maintained a brand, built brand loyalty, and incorporated that brand into their business model.
To learn more about the event, visit safnow.org and register here.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF NOW.
