 Feature Story
Floral
success at
PMA
Flower-related participation at Fresh Summit sets a record.
 Produce
Marketing Association (PMA) officials report record floral
participation at October’s Fresh Summit International Convention
& Exposition in Houston, Texas.
“We had a great response” from floral attendees, says Terry
Humfeld, PMA vice president. PMA registered 69 buyers for the
“Floral Value Package,” more than double the number from 2006,
he says. Of the 700 exhibitors, 82 had floral as part of their
offerings. He also notes that vice presidents of produce who
have responsibility for floral participated in the
floral-related events. The show drew a total of 15,849
attendees.
Floral highlights included:
WORKSHOPS Mr. Humfeld says workshops by Pam Smith, AAF,
PFCI, marketing director of Nature’s Flowers, and Terril Nell,
Ph.D., AAF, professor of floriculture and chairman of the
environmental horticulture department at the University of
Florida, were both well received. Ms. Smith tied her discussion
of “Selling to Men, Women and Teens” to floral displays in the
“Fresh Ideas Marketplace” on the show floor. Dr. Nell presented
new findings from his research on flower longevity in his “2007
Floral Care & Handling Update.”
FLORAL NETWORKING RECEPTION “It was a wonderful
opportunity to network and see people,” Mr. Humfeld says of the
event, which drew up to 200 floral professionals.
PMA and its Floral Council already are starting to plan floral
events for next year’s Fresh Summit in Orlando, Fla., from Oct.
24 to 27. Mr. Humfeld expects another good turnout in 2008. “My
sense is that we’ll see a very strong return and more exhibitors
next year,” he says.
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floral marketer of the year
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Marcy Britigan, president of MEI Specialty Refrigeration and
Fixtures of LaGrange Park, Ill., was named the 2007 Floral
Marketer of the Year during the Produce Marketing Association (PMA)
Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition.
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Lauree Lincoln, floral sales manager of Big Y Foods, Inc., and
the 2006 honoree, presented the award to Ms. Britigan,
describing her as a “high-energy dynamo who established herself
early on as a promoter of the industry, a true floral compadre,
and a person whose name is always found on the Top Ten List of
People Who Get Things Done.”
MEI offers refrigerators, fixtures and accessories for floral
departments as well as planning and design strategies. Ms.
Britigan started the company in 1996, and Ms. Lincoln said, “She
did not just survive—she thrived and prospered in a highly
competitive environment. Throughout it all, she has maintained
her impeccable integrity, never compromising on the traits that
define her as a professional and a person: character, loyalty,
commitment and passion.”
Ms. Britigan says she got hooked on the floral industry early on
when she met with industry notables to learn about the flower
business. “I tutored under some of the best people you can tutor
under, and it is hard not to catch that enthusiasm,” she shares.
The award, she says, “means so much because it comes from the
industry, from my peers, and it’s an acknowledgment of all the
work that we’ve done over the years as an industry. It’s just an
honor for my peers to acknowledge me as being one of the people
that helped to make us grow.”
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Most photos courtesy of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA).
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