On July 9, more than 140 members across the floral supply chain and around the world connected in Miami for PMA Fresh Connections: Floral. The inaugural event, specifically designed for the floral audience, emphasized connections and directed focus to networking opportunities among buyers and sellers, while offering a number of educational sessions that addressed important trends driving business. Following the event, we asked attendees to share their thoughts.

PMA: How does your company respond to the increased use of social media for consumers regarding floral, i.e. DIY, home décor, weddings, crafting, etc.? Is there a role for the floral industry in social media?

Floral industry professionals network in Miami during PMA Fresh Connections: Floral.Kelvin Frye, director of sales and marketing at Syndicate Sales in Kokomo, IN: Given the visual nature of our industry, we look for ways to engage consumers and industry partners using Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. In my opinion, social media represents a perfect opportunity to launch a well-organized, full-scale campaign promoting the purchase of flowers for everyday consumption. Unlike print, radio and TV media outlets, social media outlets can reach the appropriate audience in an immediate, more targeted and more effective manner. The floral industry is waiting for someone like PMA to take the lead.

PMA: How is your company responding to the challenge of engaging millennial consumers?

Eric Smith, director of floral at Topco Associates LLC in Miami/Fort Lauderdale: Topco Associates has a unique perspective on engaging millennials as we see both suppliers’ and members’ (retailers) efforts in this area. We at Topco are educating ourselves (at events such as PMA Fresh Connections: Floral) on what millennials want and how they can best be serviced. We are taking these ideas and concepts and engaging our suppliers and members to assist in the development of winning strategies to engage millennials. This collaboration allows us to identify winning strategies and winnow out strategies that are less effective.

PMA: How does your company respond to the increased use of social media for consumers regarding floral, i.e. DIY, home décor, weddings, crafting, etc.?

Rene Quinn, vice president at FreshBlooms in Sewell, NJ: As a floral distributor, we have to keep up with the current trends in the floral marketplace. In the past, you would see these trends in magazines, on Martha Stewart’s television program, and with the Pantone Color of the Year. Now, websites like Pinterest, YouTube and Facebook are taking the world by storm and influencing consumers with visual pictures of everything they can imagine. Some examples we see today on Pinterest regarding wedding flowers are garden roses and baby’s breath (Gypsophilia) gaining in popularity. We had a week this spring where baby’s breath sales were 80 percent higher this year versus last year and the large increases continue week after week through the summer wedding season. Our buyers are prepared for these increases because they are perusing these sites to see what’s hot and trending so they have the product when our customers want it for their special events.

PMA: As the industry identifies the need to share information across the supply chain, particularly through close relationships (think: breeders and retailers, retailers and growers, etc.), what is your company doing to strengthen and maintain connections with your supply chain partners?

Evan Kerkhoven, sales manager at Fresh Tulips USA in Fredericksburg, VA: Communication is a key factor here. Being able to gather information early with retailers as simple as delivery dates helps in facilitating smoother logistics and an optimum supply chain. We monitor all shipments from farm to store and it’s crucial the cold chain is never broken. Maintaining close relationships is key as it’s a collaborated effort and communicating effectively strengthens this process.

Becky Roberts is director of floral and volunteer relations at the Produce Marketing Association in Newark, DE. She can be contacted at [email protected].