Stephanie Navas, of Flowers on Broadway in Rocky Point, New York, has put inspiration from convention into action. The session about Instagram reels gave her the push to ask an employee to start posting to the shop’s Instagram and Tik Tok accounts, and the design session inspired her to dress up her offerings of house plants with wired accents.
SAF Orlando 2021 drew 375 people — including 107 first-time attendees — from 39 states and five countries for two days of networking, educational sessions, and stunning floral displays. Attendees said through interviews and in a post-convention survey that they left inspired and more knowledgeable and equipped to handle challenges in the industry.
“You come out of the conference so energized with all the knowledge you gain, friendships you make, and business contacts you start,” Navas says.
The convention, held in September at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Florida, also featured the Outstanding Varieties Competition with its 146 entrants, the Supplier Expo with 40 vendors, the 52nd annual Sylvia Cup Design Competition with 12 competitors, six networking events, and three experience zones.
In addition to education, attendees said that networking opportunities were an important reason for going to the convention. Nearly 60% of survey respondents said that making business connections was one of the top three reasons for attending. And, more than 75% of attendees reported that they had made new connections with suppliers and anticipated doing business with those companies in the future.
Read the complete article at www.safnow.org.
