During the holiday period, auctioneers always have to switch gears, says flower auctioneer Luus Hooyman. In the column below, she explains what's involved when you fill in for a colleague. Ascension Day and the start of the school year provide a welcome boost to demand for flowers and plants.
A bit of puzzling
It's the last weeks of the holiday period. It is always a bit of a puzzle, then. Who is on holiday, and how is the distribution of auctioneers across the clocks? Auctioning on a different clock is a bit of a switch and a good consultation in advance with the colleague you are replacing is necessary. And there also happen to be other changes. There is also a change because one of our colleagues has moved to another department. An auctioneer from Rijnsburg joins our team in Aalsmeer; welcome Bram and good luck Menno in your new role.
Temporarily replacing a colleague
When you jump in on another clock, there are many questions that come into play. Such as how is the price setting, which leader gets the highest prices and where to intervene if the price drops too far. Adding to this is the fact that even the regular buyers are sometimes on holiday. This is really noticeable. Sometimes they buy differently. The holidays also affect our leaders. There, too, you notice when the regulars who normally prepare the products for auction are absent. Sometimes there are different numbers in a barrel or the composition of the trolleys is slightly different. So we have to be careful. At the end of the day, it is great to see that all carts are on their way to their destinations at home or abroad.
New energy
Colleagues return from holidays with great stories and experiences. If all goes well, the holidaymakers have gained new energy to get on with it. The summer weather in the Netherlands has made its appearance recently and the supply of flowers is well under way. Pricing is still somewhat moderate, but the first signs of increasing demand are noticeable. The first schools reopen, and the custom of bringing a flower for the teacher then fuels demand. In addition, August sees the celebration of the Assumption of Mary, which is also accompanied by extra demand for flowers and plants from home and abroad.
Flower parade
The flower parade with Holland as its theme travelled through the bulb region last weekend. Wonderful to see that there was plenty of attention for this. A beautiful attraction that attracts a lot of people. It's in our blood to want to decorate with flowers; nice to see this event on the Unesco heritage list. The gigantic flower mosaic in Westland on the occasion of the Tour de France Femmes also put Dutch ornamental plant cultivation in the international spotlight.
Connect to grow
Are you a buyer or supplier and want to know more about marketing or buying via the clock? Contact Royal FloraHolland's Customer Contact Centre (tel 088 789 89 89) and ask for an auctioneer or account manager.