This March , the Society of American Florists will plunge its first everGreat Big Plant Event – a program library of tool and imagination designed to help flower store improve their plant life line , feel inspired and join with industry spouse .
SAF Now editor program talked with CEO Kate Penn about this young consequence — why it weigh to the industriousness , how the association has adapt the computer programing to the industry ’s pauperization and the big questions some of the sessions will tackle . SAF Now : First , why houseplants?Kate Penn : houseplant and indoor plants have become so popular with Americans — and that was rightful before the pandemic . Now , with so many mass working from home , family - school or monitoring virtual school — the economic value of plant in interior space has really heighten for consumers . As an industry , we ’ve always understood that bringing nature inside can have tremendous health benefits — from help to increase productivity to creating moments of calm — so it ’s with child news for the floral industry that consumers are becoming more aware of this too , and that an integral constellation of “ plantfluencer ” stars is out there on social media generating ebullience and demand for our products!Attendees will receive practical tools and guidance , right away from diligence expert , on topics let in care and manipulation , selling , customer service , leverage societal media and carry on with supply issues .
SAF : The data formatting of this upshot is unlike from anything SAF has done before . What can the great unwashed expect?KP : It IS different . This program was create around bite - sized demos and talks . Through tight to two XII all - new , on - need immortalize sitting , player will hear straight from SAF retailers and manufacture appendage on specific matter — like creating innovative services such as plant swaps , designing with plant , groom your squad and your customers on best pattern and how to think through dissimilar aspect of plant sales . These demos will be useable to purchase at any time , meaning attendees can observe on their own agenda . Throughout March , SAF will also host live sports meeting - up events and social media takeovers by some of our most exciting loudspeaker . The live events will highlight issues that benefit most from hot interaction — a cross - segment sourcing gore with Q&A , a conversation with Eliza Blank of The Sill , which has been a major disruptor of plant sale in the online space , and a presentation by plantfluencer Marcus Bridgewater , also know as Garden Marcus ( and recently have in Vogue ! ) .

SAF : What can attender expect to take from this event?KP : This houseplant frenzy is a prospect for our industry to smoothen . The potential return on invested capital for your business organisation is Brobdingnagian since plants are every twenty-four hour period , versatile leverage . We see The capital Big Plant Event as part of SAF ’s deputation to bring the proficient and brightest industry minds together to talk more about the opportunity in this space and the challenges , to make link and apportion best practices . The programming we ’ve acquire is hardheaded , applicable and it ’s fun to watch !
SAF : What other events are coming down the pike ? Will SAF be doing only virtual effect in 2021?KP : Everyone on the SAF team is SO ready to resume in - person programing . We miss insure our member and accept those authoritative connections . We have to make certain we ’re handling in - soul interactions safely and making smart investiture . Our annual Congressional Action Days will be an all - virtual event this year – on April 13 - 14 . With a young administration and new Congress , our advocacy for the industry has never been more important and the virtual format has real advantage ! It defecate the effect more accessible to members who are n’t able to leave their businesses or traveling , without compromising our ability to get in front of key decisiveness makers in Washington . More data on this class ’s event is coming soon towww.safnow.org . SAF hop to sustain its annual convention , in person in September . The event will be castrate to ensure it is accessible for business that are still short - staffed and/or swamped with fall weddings . SAF also hopes to hold 1 - twenty-four hour period Profit Blasts in October and November . Stay tune up to safnow.org for more details on when and where those will be .
For more information : SAFsafnow.org