Haslett, MI – Business sessions, design shows, contests and an industry tour will highlight this year’s Great Lakes Floral Expo “Reaching for Excellence”. The annual event, sponsored by the Michigan Floral Association, will be held March 1-3, at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel/DeVos Place, in Grand Rapids, MI.
Billed as the largest floral symposium in the Midwest, the Olympic-themed expo is expected to draw florists, growers, and wholesalers from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin and beyond. All attendees will have a chance to win a Kindle or one of four iPads.
There are several design contests scheduled. One will send the winner to represent the association at the Society of American Florists’ Sylvia Cup competition.
The Designer of the Year contest will provide the MFA representative at the 2013 National Alliance of Floral Association’s Designer of the Year competition.
On the schedule for the “Floral Olympics” are five main stage presentations covering weddings, parties, color, techniques, and everyday designs. There will be seven hands-on workshops where participants learn new design skills and the latest trends in sympathy and wedding work. In addition, nine business sessions will be presented on a variety of subjects ranging from service and social media to flower shop makeover and marketing.
This year’s industry tour will visit four Michigan businesses. The progressive dinner will begin with hors d’oeuvres at bokay by Eastern Floral, and move on to the salad course at Nordlie, Inc. followed by the main course at Vans Floral Products, a Kennicott Bros. company. The tour will end with dessert at Fruitbasket Flowerland. Attendees will see the latest in cut flowers, supplies, and holiday décor.
The three day Trade Show Marketplace will showcase a variety of fresh product, hard goods, services and Floral Olympic Trade Show Trivia. Visitors will scour the trade show floor, visiting vendors to find trivia answers and win prizes.
Other events include the annual book fair, silent auction, CF and AIFD showcases and the MFA breakfast. Saturday night, March 2, the president’s reception, recognition banquet and awards ceremony will be held in the Pantlind Ballroom of the Amway Grand Plaza.
Michigan Floral Association President Bob Patterson noted “The Expo weekend is a marvelous investment in the future of your business. With loads of design programs, classes, competitions, business sessions, and a diverse trade show, the GLFE is time well spent. In addition to all this, the networking is immensely beneficial.”
Visit www.greatlakesfloralexpo.com to download a full registration brochure or to register online. Call the MFA at (517) 575-0110 with any questions.
The Michigan Floral Association is a full-service trade organization representing more than 500 florists, growers, and wholesalers statewide. Located in Haslett, MI, MFA offers group savings on insurance, financial services, retail bank card processing & supplies, office supplies, and fleet fueling; is the sponsor of the Certified Florist (CF) program; creates and hosts a statewide annual conferences and trade shows; conducts educational seminars though out the year at the association headquarters; publishes the Professional Florist magazine; hosts the MFA web site, and interacts with state / federal government agencies. For more information on MFA, visit their web site at www.michiganfloral.org.
Source: The Michigan Floral Association