The sights and smells of fresh-cut flowers are filling up the Miami Beach Convention Center, which is where Floriexpo 2022 is currently taking place. The show started yesterday, June 7, and will last till June 9. Those fresh-cut flowers dominate the exhibit floor, but others that are showcasing everything from potted plants to containers to care and handling products fill out the rest of the space, highlighting the incredible variety. And on June 7, the Floriexpo Education Program took place as well. In this article, the insight from this program.
Designed to serve as a mix of education, trend spotting and market knowledge to define floral strategies, the Floriexpo Education Program featured numerous experts that presented and discussed the most pressing issues in the industry.
Derek Woodruff kicked off the program with an exploration of the Floral Marketing Fund (FMF) study that laid out the main drivers of consumer preferences in houseplant purchasing. What are people focused on and buying as consumers return to “normal” life and work activities? Woodruff picked out the most essential pieces of information that he wanted the audience to know about, including which are the most popular social media platforms for plant purchase, which plants are trending up and the preferred places to shop and why.
A chart that showcased succulent pricing was especially insightful, highlighting why the $19.34 price was the ideal sweet spot between something priced higher or lower. The purchase amount consumers are spending has gone up as many are looking to bring the outdoors inside.
“When you can’t visit people, people send flowers,” Woodruff said.
What are some of the main reasons for non-purchases though? Many survey respondents said they were afraid of killing something but Woodruff talked through how that apprehension can be relived based on a conversation. 26% of respondents said they weren’t making a purchase because of COVID-related reasons. He also answered the question of whether or not houseplants make people feel happier and detailed what topics like experiential retail and suggestive setting can mean to floral category buyers. The full report is available at floralmarketingfund.org.
Moderated by Glenna Hecht, the keynote lunch pulled together multiple experts to discuss what it means to engage employees in the workplace. Panelists Kim Boin, Greg Kurkjian and Bradley Gaines shared insights that they’ve gathered as leaders in their organizations.
Growing profitability in turbulent times was the topic that Corrine Heck talked through in terms of logistics, strategy and more. As an event florist, she has a unique perspective around growing a floral business and what it means to simplify processes and tools in a way that directly impacts profitability.
Profitability was a major focus for the panel that followed, which centered on innovative customer engagement tactics that are defining entirely new marketing campaigns. Moderated by Blake Bussie with Mimi Martinez Pacheco and Ryan Black defining the panel, the session was an open Q&A that allowed the audience to ask questions centered on new products that have resonated, the margins that are associated with certain top products, how marketing has changed since COVID and much more.
“The best marketing is when we make it simple,” said Pacheco. “We’re making the next industry experts with these messages which highlights why education is so essential and why it should be foundational to marketing initiatives. We want people to feel confident in the choices they’re making.”
In the final session Flower Circus provided attendees with flowers and a show. John Elstgeest and Mark Frank explored what it means to make a visual impact in a store using the latest color trends but did so by assembling, talking through and showing what it means to make this sort of impact with bouquets.
“You’re not hiding but showing with the bouquets,” said Elstgeest.
Geared toward anyone that wants to see shoppers stop in their tracks and view a floral setup or arrangement, their display highlighted what makes the Floriexpo Education Program as unique as it is essential for stakeholders across the floral industry, the organization concludes.
The Valley Springs booth at the show.
Click here for more insights from the Floriexpo Education Program
For more information:
Floriexpo
floriexpo.com