Petal It Forward, the Society of American Florists’ annual event in which floral businesses nationwide hand out two bouquets — one to keep and one to give away — is on Oct. 18. To make sure you are prepared for a successful event, use this step-by-step guide to prepare:
- Determine where you’ll distribute flowers. Some businesses give away flowers from their shop, others set up in busy city centers. Others make arrangements with offices, hospitals, police departments and other community organizations to drop by the day of the event.
- Create a plan. Bouquet or single stem? Wrapped or in a bud vase? Decide what you will pass out, how you’ll get the flowers to the giveaway location, and how many people you need to help hand out flowers.
- Get in touch with the media. Email a media advisory to the local media and make follow-up calls to confirm the information has been received. On the Monday before your event, resend the advisory to unresponsive media outlets and make another round of follow-up calls to make sure that you’re still on their radar. Also, be sure to have several press releases on site for media. Find more tips to boost your media coverage here.
- Make sure your flower team and shop are decked out in branded gear with your shop name and the Petal It Forward logo. Find the sandwich board and flower card templates here, plus use the logo for T-shirts, masks, hats, and more!
- Use social media to remind your community that they can spread happiness all year by purchasing flowers from your shop. Take photos of your event and encourage flower recipients to take pictures as well and share them on social media using the hashtag #PetalItForward.
Email photos and information about your event to Amanda Jedlinsky so that SAF can share the good cheer generated through this year’s event and promote it next year. *By sharing your images with SAF, you grant permission for SAF to use them to promote Petal It Forward in social media and online marketing.
Petal It Forward is quickly approaching but there is still time to register and get the resources you need from SAF!
Stephanie Brady is the project manager for the Society of American Florists.
