UID and Me: What I Learned At This Great Educational And Networking Event

Catalina Correa, WF&FSA Education Committee Vice Chair

Catalina CorreaAs I shared with you about a month ago, I attended this year’s University of Innovative Distribution (UID), March 5-8 in Indianapolis, IN.  It was a great experience that I plan to repeat next year. You might ask me, what were some of the highlights?

The classes were great! There were several tracks to choose from so I could craft my own learning experience right from the start at registration. I attended several productivity/technology classes that were very interesting (my phone is full of new apps that I downloaded as a result of one of the classes). I brought home many ideas to implement along with notes and class handouts so I can review and make plans based on what I learned during the trip.

In terms of participation, UID had close to 700 participants and attendance from WFF&SA was at an all-time high with 17 participants. This level of participation created a wonderful opportunity to network and discuss through our industry's lens everything we learned in the evenings. I really enjoyed that. 

So, yes, many of the participants are not from the floral or floral supply industry and I have heard comments about how UID does not apply to WF&FSA because of that. But, I found it so interesting to meet people from all age groups and industries who are all involved in distribution, as we all face a lot of the same challenges. Sometimes it is hard to believe we can really learn and apply a lot of things across industries, but UID is proof-positive that we can!

The UID faculty were great facilitators and encouraged lots of discussion. People came prepared with questions that were discussed by the group as a whole, sharing ideas and suggestions that had helped others in similar situations in the past. 

Overall, I would encourage all of you to make plans for next year. This is an unparalleled education and networking event that should be on your yearly radar. Go ahead and put the dates on your calendar for next year (March 11-14 2018) and remember, early registration saves you money!  

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4 Comments

Rob Shibata   on Tuesday 03/21/2017 at 02:57 PM

Catalina, Thanks for the great summary. We sent 4 managers from Mt Eden and they agree with your comments. One of the things they enjoyed the most was the evening re-cap of what they learned each day with other WF&FSA attendees.

Joe Thompson   on Tuesday 03/21/2017 at 05:07 PM

Catalina, thanks for the great summary and for the glowing recommendation of the value of attending UID. Since 1994, UID has served as a unique, low-cost, world-renowned education program, supported by over 40 professional industry associations, including WF&FSA. We'll look forward to even more WF&FSA members attending in 2018!

Alan Tanouye   on Tuesday 03/21/2017 at 05:36 PM

I attended this year as well and agree with Catalina that it was a really valuable education event. For March of 2018, I plan to take a couple other managers from Floralife because I think they will benefit a lot from the experience like I did.

Robyn Peterka   on Wednesday 03/22/2017 at 02:44 PM

Thank you Catalina,
I came home full of information and ideas.
Each class had at least one big take away for me. We had so many classes each day to choose from, I wish I could have attended all of them. I thought the conference was well organized and that the other attendees were getting as much out of it as I was. I would definitely go back. It was well worth the time and expense.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the comments shown above are those of the individual comment authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of this organization.