Tim Farrell, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, gave a presentation at SAF’s 1-Day Profit Blast in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on generating more wedding and event business.
They learned how to upsell and book more weddings while creating designs for different budgets. They heard strategies for better communication in the shop — and with customers. They picked up plans to incentivize workers. And they fawned over the latest fresh product from growers and suppliers.
Attendees of the Society of American Florists’ Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1-Day Profit Blast left the June 7 event with new strategies to tackle event, labor and inflation challenges.
“I’ve been making a lot of notes that will inspire my employees when I go back — and energize them — as we are so excited about this field,” said Cynthia Campbell of Ecker’s Flowers & Greenhouses, Inc., in Waverly, Iowa. “It’s opportunities like this that are the one thing that keep our industry going, and keep people interested.”
The event featured three educational sessions, nearly 20 vendors at a supplier showcase, and time for networking. It was underwritten by the Bill Doran Company.
SAF is holding two more Profit Blasts this year, one in Denver, Colorado on Oct. 11, underwritten by Denver Wholesale Florists, and another in San Marcos, Texas on Nov. 9, underwritten by the Bill Doran Company. In March, nearly 120 floral professionals gathered for a Profit Blast in Albany, New York.
A session by Tim Farrell, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, focused on generating more wedding and event business — including practical tips on how to adapt designs to the tastes and budgets of different clients — for more profit, less stress and stronger wedding and event sales.
Mikayla Walker, of Black Dahlia Flowers & Gifts in Belmond, Iowa, found Farrell’s session particularly helpful since, like many other florists, the shop has seen a sharp increase in the number of weddings it has booked this year.
“It was great to come and learn more about how to make more money and more sales from the weddings we have, and hopefully book more,” she said. Her mom, Jona McGrath, who owns the shop, added, “One of the things I got out of this was upselling to get your customers to for that little extra bit for making their event more beautiful.”
The two other sessions focused on incentive plans for workers — presented by Derrick Myers, CPA, PFCI, of Crockett & Myers Associates — and communication — presented by Vonda LaFever, AIFD, PFCI, and Lori Wilson of Flower Clique.
The event drew florists from Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Minnesota. Emily Neubauer, AIFD, owner of Belle Fiori Fine Flowers & Gifts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, made the four-hour trip because she is committed to continuing education to help her business grow, she said. In addition to the education, she also enjoyed the energy and camaraderie.
“I’ve seen so many new products from different parts of the world. I’ve heard from my floral friends and colleagues that we are all doing the same things in success, and we are all struggling with the same things in our economy right now,” she said. “Together we are going to have a united front on how to move forward and keep our industry growing strong.”
Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF NOW.
