As of May, indications are that 2015 shipments of California flowers are up. While the final numbers won’t be available for some time, the state’s growers and shippers are reporting continued growth and strong volumes. Good signs for an industry that took a bit of a beating in the recent recession. And, as a sign of industry confidence, growers and related businesses are beginning to look to the future. At the upcoming Fun ‘N Sun conference July 29-Aug. 1, hosted by the California Association of Flower Growers & Shippers, or CalFlowers, members and buyers of floral products will gather in Monterey, CA, for the biannual educational and networking event.

With an eye toward growing business collaboration in the industry and globalization, as well as toward down-and-dirty agriculture issues, the conference will have a future-oriented theme. To meet the needs of our members, which include growers and the full range of distributors, we have a strong group of speakers and panelists so that attendees can take away specific ideas and tips to increase or improve their businesses.

Sessions will include Future Flower Trends, with J Schwanke from uBloom offering an overview of trends, colors, designs and thoughts about what to expect in the near future. Brad Denham from Arizona Family Florist in Phoenix will present strategies for increasing the flower purchasing patterns of consumers, using a recent case study in the Phoenix metro market promoting International Women’s Day with data, tips and marketing program ideas that can apply any time during the year.

What will growers want to think about for new flower products in the field? Joaquin De la Torre, managing partner, and Lourdes Reyes, marketing director at Ball Seed will report on recent changes in floral markets, impacts on market demand and how this will affect the U.S market and domestic flower growers. Along with Robin Van der Schaaf from Flamingo Holland in Vista, CA, they will also share a peek into new varieties of flowers. And, Kasey Cronquist of the California Cut Flower Commission will offer news and updates on the American Grown program. Finally, Kurt Glassman, president at Leadership One in Roseville, CA, will facilitate a session family business planning, including the thorny issues of succession, ownership transition, working with family and related business agreements and making it all work.

The convention won’t be all work though, as attendees will be treated to a dinner inside the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, and to flower farm tours that include CalFlower members California Pajarosa, CallaCo, CamFlor, Green Valley Floral and Kitayama Bros. An all-California flower fair will feature thousands of blooms with work by leading designers. For more information, go to http://www.cafgs.org/fun-n-sun-2015.

Michael LoBue is chief executive officer at CalFlowers in Capitola, CA. He can be contacted at [email protected].