It is with a smile on my face that I look back at a productive and inspiring trip to the AIFD Symposium last week in Kansas City.

Having worked in floral distribution specializing in order fulfillment for special events for the past 17 years here at United Floral Exchange, it was a real treat to attend Symposium and actually see with my own eyes the unbelievable and delightful floral creations that are produced by this industry’s best and boldest designers.

For those who have an interest in current fresh flower design trends - as well as pushing the outer limits of floral design possibilities - I simply can’t recommend enough that you consider attending Symposium.

There were three particular scenarios that added a lot of meaning to this particular Symposium for me.

The first is that I was able to congratulate, in person, long-time friend  Rene Van Rems for being honored with the Award of Distinguished Service to the Floral Industry. It is difficult to think of an individual more deserving of this recognition, as Rene has brought intellgience, wit, competence, and flair to the industry for many years. I also enjoyed meeting Rene’s brother and nephew who travelled from Holland in support of Rene and  - after the “official” ceremony wound down - got to hear some great stories about Rene’s early years in the industry soon after moving to the U.S. from Holland.  It is not often that we get to honor and appreciate our friends and contemporaries who make this industry special , so it was particularly enjoyable to be there for this reason.

To make the time at Symposium even more special for me was to spend some time “backstage” with long-time friends and customers.   Kelly Marble of College Flowers brought his professional skills fully to bear in organizing and managing the entire stage production effort for Symposium with the help of his “crew” from the store back in Lubbock.  In addition to the College flowers staff, two of my favorite dudes in the floral industry also were part of the crew - Chris Collum and Tom Williams from Flowerland in Midland, TX. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these folks work their magic and gained a new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into pulling off a production on the scale of Symposium.  In a word - Wow!

Moreover, last week represented rare confluence of events when I was able to spend quality time with friends and customers  - as I said, “backstage” - while also accomplishing my main mission in travelling to KC.  You see, in addition to my “day job” here at United Floral Exchange, I also happen to be currently serving as President of NORCAL - the California Association of Flower Growers and Shippers. And it also so happens that NORCAL sponsored (in my opinion) the most amazing show of Symposium - “Illusions”.  Little did I know when I agreed to intro the show by briefly addressing the audience that I would be associated with such floral splendor.   This presentation was conceived and executed by Derrick Vasquez and Lori Novak - two of California’s top floral designers.  And they did not disappoint!  “Illusions” was jaw-droppingly spectacular, blending astoundingly beautiful floral designs with evocative lighting and stage effects, powerful music selections, dream-like vignettes, and gorgeous models showing off the floral designs “catwalk”-style, all for a 2-hour long extravaganza that placed California flowers on the tip of the tongue of every style-conscious floral designer in attendance.  I simply cannot imagine a finer venue for California’s products to be so prominently displayed, nor can I imagine being prouder of our state’s selection of floral designers to present our products.   Kudos and thanks to Derrick and Lori for pulling off a “peak performance”.

The great news is - you don’t just have to take my word for it.  Click on this link - Illusions - to the AIFD website to see a photo montage of this amazing show.

Thanks to all of the friendly and welcoming folks who extended their hospitality to this Symposium newbie (special thanks to Lynne Moss and Tom Shaner).  Here’s looking forward to next year’s Symposium in Boston!

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