For years now, on every October 20th, florists all over the country get prepared to hand out (free!) bouquets to locals. Each unsuspecting passer-by gets handed two bouquets - one for themselves and one to give out to someone else, so they can “Petal It Forward!” We wanted to share a little more on this upcoming day in the industry and how you can participate!
Petal It Foward was created in 2015 by The Society of American Florists to “illustrate the positive health benefits of giving and receiving flowers.” Throughout the past few years, thousands of florists in all 50 states have spent time preparing bouquets and organizing their teams to participate.
“Petal It Forward is a prime example of the industry coming together for a common goal, and as your national trade association, we are proud to lead you in this initiative to elevate consumer perceptions about flowers. SAF helps you build a better floral business, so together we can build a stronger floral industry.”
-The Society of American Florists
In order to be a part of Petal It Forward, all you have to do is sign up on their “Petal It Forward Participation Form” page! Each year, SAF’s goal is to get florists from every state to participate. They compile a list of those who sign up to show the media that it is happening all over the country. SAF also encourages florists to share with their local media as well! If you’re interested in joining in this year, you can sign up here!
“Since it launched in 2015, Petal It Forward has been a flexible, highly customizable event. This year, we have a host of new tools to help you comply with pandemic restrictions. With targeted adaptations and updated support materials and guidance, SAF feels confident members can plan safe, successful giveaways – that not only bring joy to the flower recipients but also boost morale at all of the participating businesses.” -The Society of American Florists
You can view what states are participating in this year’s Petal It Forward with the map that SAF keeps updated as florists sign up. Make sure to check it out - you might be the first one to be representing your state!
SAF has also provided some free social media images to share and help promote the event and let the locals in your community know you will be handing out flowers. They even provide some captions (and plenty more social media tips) to use with those images - because we all know you’re busy! Make sure to use the hashtag #PetalItForward and tag @societyofamericanflorists in your posts.
Here are just a few photos we grabbed from previous years of the event. It’s so wonderful to see all of the warm smiles from those receiving bouquets! We joined the Petal It Forward celebration back in 2017, check out our blog to see a full recap of our experience.
As The Society of American Florists states on their Petal It Forward page, “Now More Than Ever, We Need To Petal It Forward.” We can all find ways to give back to our community safely this year, so let’s come together as an industry and spread the power of flowers!
