Forest Hill – Excitement and creativity were blooming in “The City of Flowers” when the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) took over Seattle, Wash. for Symposium “X.” Over 800 floral design artists converged in Seattle to see creative designs, entertaining events and inspiration like never seen before from July 1-5, 2017 at the Washington State Convention Center and Sheraton Seattle Hotel.
"X" was an action-packed educational extravaganza that included high-level stage presentations from renowned floral design artists from around the world. The AIFD Symposium also included a welcome reception, two celebratory dinners, a student competition, and an expo of floral industry suppliers, among other events.
“The Symposium was an amazingly artistic success this year,” exclaimed AIFD’s new President Kim Oldis AIFD, CFD of Details…..it’s all about the flowers in LaConner, Wash. “From the educational programs, to the receptions, to the opportunities to network with one another, “X” excited every attendee, giving them an opportunity to open their eyes to new ideas and possibilities within the floral design industry.”
Coordinated under the direction of Cindy Anderson AIFD, CFD, a freelance designer in Colorado Springs, Colo. and Wil Gonzalez AIFD, CFD Ukiah, Calif., AIFD’s 2017 Symposium was a balanced collaboration between design artists that provided attendees the ability to take their floral design talent to a new level.
AIFD’s Seattle event kicked-off with the Institute’s Annual Professional Floral Design Evaluation (PFDE) on Thursday, June 29 in which 112 floral designers attempted to demonstrate their design capabilities in an effort to achieve the coveted status as a Certified Floral Designer (CFD) and/or an invitation to become a member of AIFD. The candidates were each required to make five designs in four hours. Their work was then evaluated by a panel of AIFD members who consider such critical criteria as creativity, mechanics, elements of design, use of floral product and more. Results of the evaluations are posted at http://aifd.org/2017-pfde-results/.
Kim Oldis AIFD, CFD of Details…it’s all about the flowers in LaConnor, Wash., was installed as president of AIFD®. She succeeds Anthony J. Vigliotta AIFD, CFD of Anthos Design in Los Angeles, Calif. as the volunteer leader of the floral industry's leading organization in design education. Installed as AIFD’s President-Elect was Frank Feysa AIFD, CFD of Garden Gate in Aurora, Ohio. Tom Simmons AIFD, CFD of Three Bunch Palms Productions in Palm Springs,
Calif., will serve as treasurer of the Institute, and Jackie Lacey AIFD, CFD of Floriology Institute in Jacksonville, Fla. will serve as secretary of the Institute. Suzie Kostick AIFD, CFD of Rio Rancho, N.M. will take on the role as AIFD’s 2018 Symposium Coordinator for “Discover” taking place June 30-July 4 in Washington, D.C. John Kittinger AIFD, CFD of The Best of Flowers in Lexington, Ky. will be the Symposium Program Coordinator.
Student designers from 13 universities and colleges in the U.S. and Canada competed in the annual AIFD Student Design Competition on Saturday, July 1. The Overall School Award went to the City College of San Francisco (CCSF), led by SAIFD advisors Holly Money-Collins AIFD, CFD and Steven Brown AIFD, CFD. Dawn Mones of Cal Poly State University took home the Overall Student Highest Score Award. Junghwa Han of City College of San Francisco earned the People’s Choice Award, which is voted on by Symposium attendees. For a complete listing of the 2017 Student Competition winners, please visit http://aifd.org/2017-student-design-competition-winners/.
On the evening of the first full day of education, AIFD presented “Xpand Your Horizons,” its annual Awards and Induction Ceremony and Dinner in which 77 floral design artists were inducted into membership. A full list of the new AIFD members can be found at http://aifd.org/2017-aifd-inductees/.
Two distinguished awards were also presented as part of the ceremony. Tim Farrell AIFD, CFD was recognized by the AIFD National Board of Directors with the Award of Distinguished Service to the Floral Industry. This award is presented to AIFD members who have made a significant contribution to the floral industry. United Floral Inc. and General Manager Tony Graaf were recognized with the Award of Merit Industry. This award is presented to professionals in the floral industry who are not a member of AIFD, but who are serving a crucial role in advancing the industry. Details on each award winner are posted at http://aifd.org/2017-award-winners/.
AIFD would like to recognize the 2017 Symposium Partners for their financial support: Diamond Partners – Accent Décor and Smithers Oasis. Platinum Partners – FTD and Teleflora. Gold Partners – Bloomnet, Design Master, Hawaii’s Flowers, Green Point Nursery, Denver Wholesale Florist, Florists’ Review, Syndicate Sales, Washington Floral Service and The Queen's Flowers. Silver Partners – Connie Duglin Linens, Sun Valley, RosaPrima, The Elite Bouquet, Japan Flowers and Plants Export Association and UCI – Unlimited Containers. Bronze Partner – AIFD South Central Chapter, Ocean View
Flowers, Cal Flowers, Winward and Gold Eagle USA.
For those who missed the AIFD National Symposium, DVDs and online videos of the various programs are available to order at http://aifd.org/2017-symposium-recap/. Photos from the event can be found on AIFD’s Symposium Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AIFD.Symposium. Full recap articles are posted at http://aifd.org/2017-symposium-recap/. AIFD has already started planning the 2018 Symposium “Discover” which will take place in Washington, D.C., June 30-July 4. A sell out is expected so early registration is encouraged.
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About the American Institute of Floral Designers
The mission of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) is to advance the art of professional floral design through education, service and leadership, and to recognize the achievement of excellence in this art form. Established in 1965 AIFD is, today, the floral industry's leading non-profit organization dedicated to establishing, maintaining and recognizing the highest standard of professional floral design. AIFD and its accredited members are in the forefront of the industry in presenting educational design programs and in designing flowers for events worldwide. Find more information at aifd.org.
Source: American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD)