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The 2011 Canadian Florist Business Forum
New forum raises bar for florists |
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Written by Scott Jamieson
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The first annual Canadian Florist Business Forum takes place at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre on Jan. 12, 2011. Register to network with your fellow florists, wholesalers, suppliers and more. You’ll also get the opportunity to attend three business-focused seminars that will help your shop profit and succeed right now.
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Business as usual is not sustainable in the long run for many of Canada’s florists, as they struggle with new competition, make sense of new generations of potential clients, and find their way through new opportunities in social media, product lines and marketing. The need for training and education has never been greater, as our popular 2010 Canadian Florist Survey made clear. Yet opportunities are limited in the
Canadian floral sector.
Thanks to the generous support of sponsors at FTD, Smithers-Oasis, and Teleflora, Canadian Florist magazine is providing florists the opportunity to address all the issues above, network with fellow florists, wholesalers, suppliers, and more in our first annual 2011 Canadian Florist Business Forum. To be held near Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Jan. 12, 2011, the forum will focus on the business side of running a successful floral operation in today’s rapidly changing environment. This is not another design show, but an attempt to gather florists and challenge the way we view our businesses and serve our customer base. The preliminary agenda is already set, and you can find full speaker bios at www.canadianfloristmag.com. Sessions include:
 Commerce graduate Italo Paris and his partner and sister Ester Mauro run Ital Florist, a top 100 FTD flower shop. He runs a number of websites and two locations with one POS system, is a past member of the FTD Technology Advisory Board, and is currently on the FTD Advisory Council.
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Connecting with the Chain: The Innovation Strategy
Sponsored by FTD
 Connect and learn from the floral supply chain in the Business Forum’s first education session. One member from each sector will share with you their best business ideas so you can take advantage of these practices in your business. It’s all about co-operation – suppliers need to think about the end consumer when developing new trends and product ideas, while retailers need to have outstanding product, solid training resources and phenomenal marketing support from their supplier partners. The panelists in this session will help you gain an understanding of how to market your company by combining creativity, skills and resources.
Panelists
- Italo Paris, Partner, Ital Florist
- Gayle Smith, Technical Consulting Manager, Chrysal
- Jouke Sypkes, Ontario Flower Growers
What Sets You Apart? The Complete Focus Strategy
Sponsored by Smithers-Oasis and Teleflora
  Do you focus on what you do best? Do you know what makes your shop unique and why customers shop with you? A panel of industry experts will share their knowledge and expertise on this topic to help you answer these questions. Through this power luncheon, you’ll discover how you can identify your unique value proposition to stay ahead of the competition and offer a service that can’t be beat. Expect solutions to three vital questions:
How are we going to face the market?
What skills and information do we need?
What are we going to sell, and to whom?
Panelists
- Jacque Sirlouis – Smithers-Oasis
- Arman Patel – Flowers Canada
- TBD - Teleflora
 Wayne Watson of Forest of Flowers has a 20 per cent market share in London, Ont., and has seen market share and sales grow through the recession. He’ll share how this was accomplished.
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Increase Your Sales Now! The Grow-Your-Market Strategy
In the Business Forum’s final session of the day, learn how you can expand your market share, grow your sales and serve your customers even better than before. In the various floral markets, there are niches and extra services you can deliver to set your shop apart from the rest. What opportunities are you missing? Are you under-serving your clientele? Come to this session to hear the changes that two independent florists have made to their shops to increase their market share and ensure that the orders keep coming in.
Speaker
- Wayne Watson – Partner, Forest of Flowers
Industry’s Best Value
If there’s no such thing as a free lunch, this is as close as it gets. For as little as $40 per person (group of five or more), attendees will receive an entire day of seminars and panels, as well as new product displays, design demonstrations, decoration ideas, business inspirations, exhibits, and more. Also included in the registration is:
- Breakfast
- Snacks and coffee breaks
- Lunch
- Trade show access
Visit www.canadianfloristmag.com to access updated information, a current list of exhibitors and directions, and to register online.
Registration fee: $50
Early bird (by Nov. 30): $45
Group rates (five or more): $40
2011 Canadian Florist Business Forum
When: Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011
Networking breakfast starts at 8 a.m.
Where: Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre, 801 Dixon Road
To register, visit www.canadianfloristmag.com or call Stephanie at 519-429-5196
Made possible by the generous support of our sponsors:
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