Floral industry events provide effective networking, public relations and educational opportunities for your business. Floral conventions not only help you stay abreast of the latest property floral industry trends, but allow you to exchange ideas with colleagues. Plus, it gives your company significant name recognition among current and future business prospects, partners or clients.

There are a wide range of floral industry trade shows and events, with topics ranging from business strategy and marketing trends to flower arranging and container gardening. To get the most value from florist industry conferences, evaluate the following:

1. Are the floral industry conferences designed for floral industry professionals in your specialized field of expertise?

2. What relevant exhibits, workshops or keynote speakers do the conferences on floral industry offer to expand your knowledge base or increase your business profitability?

3. How much should your business pay for florist industry events?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Select floral industry events geared towards professionals in your field

Choose floral industry conventions that focus on your specific floral industry discipline. If your focus is on wedding bouquets, select a specialized wedding floral design event, rather than general floral industry seminars. Find out if the floral events are best suited for owners, managers, wholesalers or designers, and select events most appropriate to your occupation.

I recommend: The Michigan Green Industry Association Annual Trade Show & Convention offers networking and educational opportunities for landscape, tree care, irrigation, lawn maintenance and hardscape professionals. The New England Spring Flower Show is the third largest flower show in the world and provides exhibits, competitions and idea sharing for gardeners, designers and horticulturalists. The Great Lakes Floral Expo presented by the Michigan Floral Association offers educational opportunities for florists, growers, suppliers, wholesalers, educators and students.

Attend floral conventions with informative workshops and reputable speakers

Select florist trade shows and events that offer a selection of classes, exhibits and workshops relevant to your career. For the most beneficial learning experience, look for floral industry seminars and classes focused on specific topics rather than broad generalizations. Choose floral association events with successful, reputable and credible speakers who are known for their floral industry expertise.

I recommend: The Northwest Flower & Garden Show offers several floral industry seminars, including "New & Notable Plants," "The Minimalist Garden," "A Woodland Monarchy", "Garden Design for Smaller Spaces" and "Foliage Color for Small Gardens." The Penn Atlantic Nursery Trade Show features workshops like outdoor retailing and container gardening, and even offers small group consultations with floral industry experts. The Philadelphia Flower Show provides free daily lectures on topics like flower arranging, container gardening, landscaping and pest control.

Choose florist conventions and classes in your price range

Register for floral industry events that fit within your company's budget. In addition to the conference fees, factor in costs for travel, lodging and meals. To save money, consider local or regional florist industry events, rather than national or international florist industry conferences.

I recommend: The Society of American Florists (SAF) Annual Convention provides a convenient online registration for both SAF members and non-members. The Maymont Flower & Garden Show offers affordable ticket fees for adults, children and seniors with free parking and shuttle service. Tickets for the Annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show are available at the door and include free admission to all seminars.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  To save on travel fees, consider attending online floral industry conferences. While you may not benefit from the networking opportunities that come with attending a floral industry conference, you will still receive the same valuable educational information from the comfort of your home or office.