Each year as our designer I attend the IFE Show in Miami Beach, Florida. IFE stands for the International Floricultural Expo where growers of fresh cuts and plants exhibit their beatiful flower varieties as well as different vendors that offer products and services to complement the floral industry. An education seminar is offered and I was lucky to attend lectures on the 2012 National Gardening Survey by Ian Baldwin and Scents & Consumer Behavior with Pieter Landman, along with many others on equally floral fascinating topics. Despite the fact that you have to hustle as you walk around the show to generate heat (they keep it very well chilled at the Expo for the flowers), there is a warm atmosphere throughout as you go booth to booth and visit with the vendors.
This year’s Keynote Address was presented by John DiJulius and titled, “The Secret to Providing a World-Class Customer Experience.” He was very good and even if you did not work directly with your company’s customer service group, you could see how your workplace work ethic, attitude and behavior can be reflected in your company’s customer service. It definitely gave me a lot good insight.
At the show I learned what D.I.F.M means….Do It For Me which is exactly how some of Generation X feel about gardening or flower arranging in general. The trend trackers were pointing out how it’s becoming more about “Dad” as men are beginning to have more purchasing power influence than ever before in the home where women have always dominated. And I really got to thinking on how are the younger generations going to embrace flowers as we see a change in lifestyle where outside hobbies and interests are becoming rarer or even non-existent.
The flower displays as always were absolutely gorgeous. Here are some colorful snapshots I took during my time at IFE. Enjoy!
