Tom Simmons, AIFD, of Three Bunch Palms Productions in Palm Springs, Calif., was officially installed as president of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) during the organization’s 2007 National Symposium, July 7 to 11 in Palm Desert, Calif.

Dozens of florists got sound advice on how to talk to groups and the media, as well as how to harness technology to increase business, last week from SAF's Professional Floral Communicators -- International (PFCI).

A Minnesota newspaper gave readers a dose of proper flower care from aboutflowers.com, SAF's consumer Web site.

Looking for a way to encourage younger generations to buy flowers? Try podcasts, says New York-based floral designer Iris Rosin, owner of Iris Rosin, LLC.

Forget the mall, teens are now hanging out online, according to a new white paper from Alloy Media + Marketing. The paper found that 81 percent of Internet-using 9- to 17-year-olds have visited a social networking Web site, such as MySpace or Facebook within the past three months, and 71 percent report visiting the sites at least weekly.

It's time to double-check that your credit card machines are up to date and operating in compliance with the law, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). And, in putting safety first, your customers will thank you for it.

In response to the growing popularity of container gardening, some nursery and garden-center owners are introducing customers to a new concept: in-store potting stations.

The winners of SAF's 2006 Outstanding Varieties Competition got to strut their stuff (again), this time at the American Institute of Floral Designers' 2007 Symposium.

Crunching numbers, maintaining a Web site and fulfilling orders may eat up your time, but a new book says making time for fun in the workplace benefits businesses and employees.

Tuberculosis recently came back on the nation's radar after a U.S. resident diagnosed with the potentially fatal disease boarded an international flight, possibly exposing other passengers to the infection.

Having trouble finding people when you need them... let alone finding ones that stick around? You're not alone.

Your "bible" of member benefits and savings is on the way.

Want to stock up on your basic ginger jar vases? Try the Ultimate Floral Industry Supply Guide (UFISG). Need to find pale orange lilies for a special wedding? UFISG can handle that, too.

One member has a bride who has a very specific idea of what she wants as her wedding centerpieces, but the member needs advice about how to execute the bride's vision. Weigh in.

Almost 47 percent of readers responding to the previous week's e-poll said their businesses have not benefited from a social networking site, while 33 percent of readers said they don't know what a social networking site is.

The months of July, August and September really were for the dogs in terms of monthly sales levels at retail florists in 2006.