The Great Lakes Floral and Event Expo 2024 brought floral enthusiasts, industry leaders, and creative minds together for a weekend full of networking and flowers. From March 1st to March 3rd, attendees immersed themselves in a whirlwind of business sessions, hands-on workshops, design shows, and networking opportunities. Corrine, Avery, and Myranda represented Details this year and met many amazing florists and vendors. Here is our official recap of our time at the Great Lakes Floral and Event Expo!
William Santos from Monarch Garden and Floral Design (pictured above) works wonders with our booth decorations. Every year, he does a great job, and we love him for taking the time out of his busy schedule to make us look our best! Thank you, William!
There were numerous hands-on workshops and educational sessions to attend throughout the weekend. Alejandro Figueira, Derek Woodruff, and Ace Berry presented hands-on sessions that were a hit with attendees. Participants had the chance to roll up their sleeves and dive into creating designs under the guidance of these talented professionals, learning new techniques and gaining valuable skills along the way. Our friends at Flower Clique dived into hot topics like Leadership Styles, providing attendees with a look into different approaches to leadership and how they can leverage their strengths to lead effectively within their businesses or teams. Furthermore, Flower Clique offered valuable tips and strategies to effectively market oneself online, recognizing the importance of establishing a strong digital presence.
During the Awards Gala, the tables were decorated to represent each country that significantly impacted the floral industry. Kate Penn of The Society of American Florists delivered the Keynote session of the evening, diving into statistics of our growing industry. Seeing all the students and designers at varying levels compete in the floral design competitions was truly special. A special shout out to our customer, Amber Kirkland from The Velvet Touch, for placing in many design categories! Congratulations to Amber Kirkland and all the participants for their outstanding achievements and for adding beauty to the conference with their floral creations.
Another big win of the night was to the Beautiful Blooms by Jen team for winning Retailer of the Year!
At the GLFA Annual Meeting and Luncheon, the keynote address was delivered by Dr. Breigh Jones-Coplin, and it focused on the theme of "Nurturing Growth, Empowerment, and Blossoming our Roots." Throughout her keynote, Dr. Breigh spoke about personal and professional nurturing growth. She emphasized the importance of continuous learning, adaptation to change, and cultivating resilience in facing challenges. It was a great session to take a moment to self-reflect and recognize what changes needed to be made to help ourselves flourish in our business.
It is always so great to see all of our Michigan floral friends! Thank you to Rod and the rest of the GLFA Board for coordinating such a great show year after year. If you want to learn more about the Great Lakes Floral Association, visit their website for more information!