2017 WF&FSA Floral Distribution Conference Educational Opportunities

A variety of educational sessions were designed to give you the information you need to help conduct your business in an efficient, productive and profitable manner:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017

WF&FSA’s Design Trends Program

OPENING SESSION –FLORAL TRENDS
featuring Kris Kratt, AIFD, PFCI
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

Whether we are aware of it or not, trends shape our actions, beliefs and habits. Tapping into current trends and understanding how they shape consumer behavior helps businesses better position themselves in their market and plan for the future.

TREND Talks explored what today’s consumers crave in not only style and color, but in their ever-accelerating expectations of service.

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Pinterest Boards:

WF&FSA UID-In-A-DAY WORKSHOPS

As a sponsor of the University of Innovative Distribution, WF&FSA will introduce you to some of the faculty in these timely and informative sessions. The workshops were scheduled so attendees could attend both sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They are designed to help you better lead and manage your business.

Crossing the Chasm from Lifestyle Management to Professional Management & Managing in
Turbulent Times
Featuring J. Michael Marks, Indian River
Consulting Group

Crossing the Chasm from Lifestyle Management to Professional Management
Session 1: 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM

The vast majority of distribution businesses are run by a senior executive who is also the majority shareholder. These owner-operator businesses vary in size from small entrepreneurial firms to those with over one billion in revenue. Many lifestyle managed firms attempt to adopt professional management practices, often with limited success. This course focused on helping the senior executive to make a distinction between the two approaches and to make an informed choice as to which approach is best in each situation.

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Managing in Turbulent Times
Session 3: 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM

This session was intended for managers who must make decisions with limited resources in highly uncertain and changing environments. The distribution industry, in many sectors, is a race to the bottom on price with new non-traditional competitors like broad line box movers and Amazon. The session is based on Peter Drucker’s work and provides a framework for decision making in uncertainty.

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Beth Z How Do They Do That? Secret Tech Weapons For Floral Professionals
Featuring Beth Ziesenis, Your Nerdy Best Friend
Session 2: 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM
Session 4: 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM

What if you could schedule a meeting without having to send three dozen emails to find a time everyone could meet? Or automate your little tasks that keep you from your real work? Or pass off annoying projects to someone else --without breaking the bank?

And what if you could pull all this off straight from your mobile device --without an IT degree?

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INTERACTIVE PANEL DISCUSSION

How Your Supply Department can be a Profit Center
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Novelty supply department products require a different approach than most everyday supply department items because they cannot be easily described over the phone. Attend this interactive panel discussion and learn how wholesalers who sell novelty items (Christmas, high end ribbon, artificial flowers) run their supply departments as profit centers, not merely as an accommodation for customers.

Panelists:

Darin Dewberry, Pete Garcia Group
Tom Figueroa, Nordlie, Inc.
Kristine Kratt AIFD, PFCI, Schaffer Designs
Laurie Nesbitt, Florists Supply, Ltd
Alex Shibata, Mt. Eden Floral Company
Nick Fronduto, Jacobson Floral Supply, Inc. – Boston, moderator

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017

WF&FSA CLOSING SESSION

8:30 AM – 10:30 AM
2017 RETAIL FLORIST OF THE YEAR – Kennedy’s Flower Shop & Gifts
Retail Florist of the Year Presentation – WF&FSA and Florists’ Review

Lori Haveman, who began working in the floral industry at age 15, cares so much for not only her plants, but her community and staff as well which leads her to win our 15th annual title presented in partnership with Florists’ Review.

IBM Panel Discussion

Facing the Forces of Change; Navigating the Seas of Disruption

WF&FSA Immediate Past President, Rob Shibata, in partnership with a panel of industry leaders, held a discussion based on National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors and IBM’s recent trend report Facing the Forces of Change: Navigating the Seas of Disruption. Today is a time of great change and even greater opportunity for wholesaler-distributors.

Panelists: