The 2017 International Floriculture Expo held at McCormick Place in Chicago last week was well attended. Education sessions, the implementation of new networking events and the trade show floor all attracted a lot of visitors. According to the organization, the number of visitors reached record heights this year.
IFE’s Education Day delivered a conference program that drew more than 350 participants tuning in to hear 20+ speakers discussing everything from sourcing and labor to 3D virtual reality bouquets and planograms. Tuesday kicked-off with Floral Flash Networking, a “speed-networking” event that paired qualified suppliers and high-volume buyers together resulting in 168 business meetings in just one hour.
There were 225 exhibitors on the show floor including 30 new companies. More than 750 floral attendees and key buyers walked the show floor and there was a combined attendance of 7500+ including IFE’s show partners, United FreshTEC, United FreshMKT and Global Cold Chain Expo.
“We resigned 83% of the exhibit floor onsite at the show, which is 60 more booths than last year. This upward trend is a direct result of the excellent quality of attendance from high-volume buyers at this year’s event,” said Christine Salmon, Event Director at IFE.
“This year in particular was fantastic as we were able to connect with a variety of current, past and new customers. We look forward to exhibiting next year and seeing our industry innovate and move forward with the latest trends and products!” said Jacob McCall AIFD AAF FSMD CFD, Director of Design, The Elite Flower.
"Once again, the IFE show proves to be the best value for reaching new grocery and retail distribution customers as well as connecting with current customers," said Scott Fulton, General Manager of Botany Lane Greenhouse.
Honors and awards
Flower Naming Ceremony Honors John Simko, “Sunshine”
Kevin Barry of Big Y Foods presented the honor to John Simko, President and CEO of Sunshine Bouquet Company and 40 year industry veteran. The flower, bred by Ball and Miyoshi, was a stunning dark blue delphinium appropriately named “Sunshine.”
Merchandising Award of Excellence goes to Hy-Vee
Cheryl Overland and her team from Hy-Vee Floral 1019 in Albert Lea, Minnesota took home the prize for their theme “Stop Texting, and Have a Conversation” presented by Super Floral and Syndicate Sales at the Toast to the Industry Reception.
Corey Rader Wins Iron Designer
Corey Rader of FreshBlooms and DVFlora, took home the trophy for Iron Designer after blood, sweat, and even some stitches – what a true champion! He was chosen by the judges out of 10 competitors from around the country tasked with creating a masterpiece in just 20 minutes using floral foam tiles from Oasis. Jason Parent MMFD also received a Crowd Choice Award.
Syndicate Sales Wins Innovation Battlefield
World Class Flowers, A-ROO Company, flAVATAR, Floralife, Betallic LLC and Syndicate Sales, Inc. battled it out at the second-annual Innovation Battlefield given just two minutes to discuss their innovative new products, which included glow-in-the-dark flowers, mailbox balloons, post-harvest technology and more. Syndicate Sales took home the trophy with their Plant Amp, a portable multi-use glass amplifier that holds up to two succulents and a smartphone.
FreshBlooms Awarded Booth of Excellence
FreshBlooms’ booth was a show stopper with a multi-level global display showcasing their floral variety taking the top honor among more than 225 booths. “Our design-centric approach to the booth focus was built upon the core concept of our slogan ‘We Bring It All Together’. World-wide sourcing is a key strength for FreshBlooms, which we wanted to represent in an artful manner. This imagery was created with the use of open spheres that burst forth with foliage and flowers for a more organic interpretation. The heart of our booth showcased color blocked floral design that radiated out like a rainbow. Two spheres at eye level welcomed attendees while a third larger sphere overhead was comprised of a mixture of all of the colors. Each color is beautiful on its own, but when we combine them the real magic happens. This brought us back to ‘We Bring It All Together,’” said Rene Quinn, VP of FreshBlooms.
For more information:
www.floriexpo.com

Announcements
Job Offers
- Commercial Manager Spain
- Crop Farm Manager Sharjah
- Commercial Manager Soft Fruits
- Assistant Nursery Manager - Tasmania, Australia
- Tissue Culture Lab / Operations Manager - Victoria, Australia
- Irrigation Manager - Tasmania or Victoria
- Chief Executive Officer Hortifrut IG Berries
- Head of Operations - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Greenhouse grower / production manager - Brazil
- Experienced International Trade Specialist
"Tweeting Growers"
Top 5 -yesterday
- "Australian native flowers provide a true seasonality and florists love this variety, variability in supply”
- "Stunning genetics under the tropical sun in Singapore"
- Designed glasshouse unfolds like a flower in just four minutes
- Greenhouse plastic boom blights Vietnam’s vegetable and flower basket
- Plantipp and Concept Plants scoop prizes
Top 5 -last week
Top 5 -last month
Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here
Other news in this sector:
- 2022-07-01 Mayer international team finally meats in person at event in Hungary
- 2022-07-01 "Stunning genetics under the tropical sun in Singapore"
- 2022-07-01 US (FL): Funding the future of Floriculture and AFE Reception
- 2022-07-01 SAF's 2022 competition invites growers to show standout varieties
- 2022-06-30 Meeting the creatives who designed American Flowers Week 2022 Botanical Couture Collection
- 2022-06-30 "Accepting the community as a designer key to success with urban farming"
- 2022-06-30 Thousands headed to the RHS Garden Harlow Carr Flower Show to mark the start of the flower show season
- 2022-06-30 RBG’s Iconic Rose Garden in bloom for summer
- 2022-06-30 US (IA): “Testing the Best in the Midwest”
- 2022-06-28 Solar greenhouse idea wins Schneider Go Green student competition
- 2022-06-27 Polish city authorities at Floriade
- 2022-06-27 Fun, flowers and floristry in the UK
- 2022-06-24 Looking back at FlowerTrials 2022
- 2022-06-24 US (CA): Family rich in farming heritage to host Field to Vase Dinner
- 2022-06-24 Horticultural Trades Association launches its first ornamental grower of year awards
- 2022-06-23 Spotlight on British cut flowers as Flowers from the Farm stages the RHS Flower School at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
- 2022-06-23 Floriexpo 2022: US B2B Floral Event
- 2022-06-23 Success for Writtle University College’s celebration of horticulture
- 2022-06-23 It has been a busy two weeks for Elsner PAC
- 2022-06-23 Plug & cutting conference 2022: "start seeding smarter solutions for better performance"