For Colton Thomas, who hasn’t yet hit his one-year anniversary in the floral industry with Norton’s Florist in Birmingham, Alabama, the Society of American Florists’ Next Gen LIVE! was more than a conference — it was a glimpse of a future.
“I always knew the floral industry was big,” he said. “But I never really grasped how big it was until being here and meeting people from all over the country.”
By the end of the event, he wasn’t just inspired — he was energized. “I’m ready to go back to work and take everything that I’ve learned here and apply it,” he said. “This showed me the future that I could have here.”
Thomas was one of about 140 young professionals who gathered Feb. 22-24 in Raleigh, North Carolina, for SAF’s fifth annual Next Gen LIVE! conference — a three-day immersion in education, supplier connections, design competition and high-impact networking built specifically for emerging leaders.
A Big Industry — Up Close
For many attendees, the event pulled back the curtain on the full scope of the floral supply chain.
Designers met growers. Retailers connected with importers. Wedding and event florists had face-to-face conversations with transportation and logistics professionals they’d previously only encountered through invoices or late deliveries.
Shanda Zelaya of Flor de Casa Designs, based outside Washington, D.C., said those supply chain conversations were invaluable.
“Understanding the transition that needs to happen between the cut bloom to my hand — and meeting the people behind those businesses — was really invaluable,” she said. “Now I have a person and a face I can reach out to.”
That access is intentional. In addition to a buzzing supplier expo and hours of structured and informal networking, attendees also toured research facilities at North Carolina State University, where they saw firsthand how science translates into longer vase life, reduced waste and innovation.
For Leah Turner of Griffin’s Floral Design in Columbus, Ohio, who has been in the industry less than a year, the conference clarified the “bigger picture.”
“It really lets you know all the growth opportunities that are available,” she said. “It helps you understand how everything fits together.”
Skills for Right Now
Education sessions tackled everything from profitability and trend forecasting to communication and leadership.
In the “Communicate on Cue” session, led by Eileen Weber, AAF, PFCI, of Lake Forest Flowers in Lake Forest, Illinois, attendees practiced handling high-stakes conversations that arise in real time, from holiday rush chaos to last-minute client changes.
Jasmine Spires of Family Flowers said the communication training hit home.
“As somebody who’s younger and a woman, that’s something a lot of people struggle with,” she said. “Learning how to take charge and match your tone to different types of people — that’s something I’ll definitely take home with me.”
Other sessions focused on operational thinking. In “Think Like an Owner,” industry leaders unpacked how pricing, staffing and sourcing decisions ripple through a business — and how understanding the “why” behind those decisions builds stronger teams.
For Emily Betler of McCandless Floral, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the takeaways were immediately practical. After a session on sales strategy, she said she plans to change how she talks to customers — steering them toward flowers already in the cooler or arriving soon, instead of defaulting to special orders that strain margins and operations.
“It’s definitely something I’m going to pull back and implement,” she said.
Collaboration and Connection
With roughly 140 attendees, the size struck a balance: large enough to represent every corner of the industry, yet intimate enough to foster meaningful conversations.
Lindsay Ferrogine of Wildflower Stem + Sundry in Glen Burnie, Maryland, pointed to new vendor relationships that could reshape their wedding offerings.
“We met a fabulous vendor who brought a whole new idea to us for our wedding side of the business,” Ferrogine said. “We’re so excited to collaborate and bring a new product to our brides and grooms.”
And for newcomers like Thomas, the event cemented his long-term commitment to the industry.
“I love what I do,” he said. “And I would love to stay in this forever.”
See more photos from the event on SAF’s Flickr account.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the senior director of content and communications for the Society of American Florists.
