With costs rising and trade policies shifting, pricing a future event can feel like aiming at a moving target.
“I’m looking at the invoices for current weddings and praying that I charged enough,” said Andrea Hammel of Peterman’s Flower Shop in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Her experience, shared in the Society of American Florists’ latest Economic Outlook survey, captures a challenge playing out across the industry: Sales may be holding up, but rising costs are putting pressure on margins.
And that is only one of the challenges floral professionals are trying to navigate. Economic uncertainty, staffing shortages, changing consumer habits, new technology and an evolving competitive landscape are all demanding attention — often at the same time.
Those concerns will be front and center at SAF’s 141st annual convention, SAF Amelia Island 2026, Aug. 18–20.
SAF’s chief economist, Charlie Hall, Ph.D., will give a keynote, “Economic Reality Check: Leading Through Uncertainty,” to help floral professionals make sense of the economic forces behind rising costs, labor volatility and shifting consumer behavior. Drawing on industry data and research into consumer willingness to spend, Hall will identify the economic signals that matter most and explain how operators can use them to make more confident decisions about pricing, staffing, inventory and investments — even when forecasts remain uncertain.
In “Cash Flow Confidence,” florists Michael Pugh of Pugh’s Flowers in Memphis and Keith Rockcastle of Rockcastle Florist in Rochester, New York, will address one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: maintaining stable cash flow when much of the year’s revenue arrives around a handful of major holidays. Through spreadsheets and real-world scenarios, attendees will pinpoint where their money goes, identify potential crunch periods and begin mapping a plan to smooth out the dramatic highs and lows of their own seasonal sales cycles.
For owners trying to determine which numbers tell the real story about their business’s health, TeamFloral’s Dan McManus will cut through the noise in “Data Without Drowning,” showing attendees how to use the metrics that matter most.
Finding and retaining customers is another source of anxiety. “Where will the next orders and customers come from?” Jody Brown-Spivey, of Expressions Floral Design Studio in Gahanna, Ohio, asked in response to a question in SAF’s survey. In, “Dominate Your Local Flower Market Online,” Mark Subel and Ryan Whiteside of Two Wheels Marketing will share strategies for improving local search visibility and reaching customers ready to buy.
The floral industry has seen an acceleration of consolidation in recent years as longtime florists and wholesalers look to sell their businesses and retire, while other companies pursue acquisitions as a path to growth. For attendees contemplating the future of their own businesses, “Managing Ownership Transitions” with Laura Walsh of Phillips Flowers in Chicago and Delaware Valley Group CEO John S. Wilkins ,, will explore how to prepare for a change in leadership while protecting employees, customer relationships and company culture.
“Growth Through Acquisitions: When to Buy, When to Walk Away” will examine the opportunity from the buyer’s perspective. Kevin McCarthy, president of Family Flowers, and Danny Sanchez, founder of South Florals, will discuss how to evaluate a potential acquisition, identify warning signs and determine whether a deal supports the company’s long-term goals.
Running through all of these sessions is a common question: How can floral professionals prepare their businesses for what comes next? Barry Gottlieb will take that question head-on, challenging attendees to develop a future-ready mindset—not by waiting for change and uncertainty to subside, but by learning to move forward confidently in the midst of them.
That message reflects the resilience evident in SAF’s survey. Despite the challenges, 58.6% of respondents described themselves as hopeful about the industry’s future, 41.4% as optimistic and 34.3% as determined.
Carma White, AAF, of Four Season Flowers & Plants in San Diego, explained why. “When I look back and see all the changes — websites, the internet, recessions and the pandemic — I still see my business growing, moving, changing, adjusting and thriving,” she said in SAF’s survey. “I have had to adjust and change my way of thinking, and business to keep moving forward. This industry allows for this and that is what makes it exciting.”
That is also the promise of SAF Amelia Island: practical answers, new ideas and a community ready to help floral businesses evolve — and thrive.
Click here to see the full schedule and register.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the senior director of content and communications for the Society of American Florists.
