LOS ANGELES — When I entered the World Floral Expo, here, I was struck by the truly international display of flowers. Exhibitors represented every section of the United States and more than ten additional countries. The number of flower varieties on display was countless, with blooms grown on six of the seven continents of the world.

The exhibit hall was larger than last year, with lots of space between the various booths, which eliminated the crowded feeling of some shows. Many of the people I talked with commented on what appeared to be low attendance but as Ed Van Wingerden, owner at Ever-Bloom in Carpinteria, CA, told The Produce News, “I have been a lot busier at certain shows and not really ended up with a lot of other accounts to ship to. This one was not very busy, but they were quality stops. We have already picked up a couple of new accounts, with several good prospects.”

Michael LoBue, president at CalFlowers, agreed with Van Wingerden about the quality of the buyers and told The Produce News, “We were very pleased with the show, and as I polled our members who exhibited, they found it to be very successful for them. This show is a great opportunity for us to showcase the products we grow here in California and at the same time to network with growers from other countries.”

International exhibitors were also enthusiastic about being at WFE. Yvonne Chelagat, from Sian Roses in Kenya, told The Produce News, “We are really very glad to be able to bring our flowers here, to show them to customers in the United States. It is a market that we want to sell to, so it is good to be here.” And Christina Garcia from Florisani, a gypsophila grower in Ecuador, said in an interview, “It was great for us. We were very pleased with the event coordinators and were able to promote our nine varieties of new products.”

WFE offered opportunity for industry members to see new products currently available on the market and also some coming into production soon. One example was the rose breeders pavilion, where several breeders displayed their new varieties. Some outstanding ones included unnamed varieties of scented and garden roses from both Jan Spek and Dummen Orange.

WFE was much more than just a showcase for flowers and growers though. There was a tour of the Los Angeles Flower Market, with attendees visiting Mayesh Wholesale Florist, and there were also floral design workshops and seminars for attendees and exhibitors alike.  

HPP Exhibitions, the show’s organizers, presented four floral design workshops, led by a group of Dutch floral designers. Participants got hands-on experience with table decorations, funeral pieces, hand-tied bouquets and wedding creations.

In addition, J Schwanke presented a seminar on “Flower Trends for Today.” He described how trends develop, where they come from, how they change, and how to utilize trends to increase business. “Entertainment and social media drive trends so much faster than ever before,” said Schwanke. “A few years ago it would take three years to develop a trend; now it can take as little as three months, and research tells us that micro-trends can take off in as little as three days.”

Visitor numbers increased on the second and third days of the trade show, yet overall attendance was around 800 — about 10 percent lower than 2015, according to show organizers. HPP announced its 2017 WFE edition would be located in Las Vegas.

“The USA is big and this requires the industry to move around the country; only then can we assure the presence of a good attendance of flower buyers,” said WFE spokesman Dick van Raamsdonk. “This means that from now on we will move to another city every year. Together with our exhibitors we will decide which city will be next.”