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HEADLINES
Storms Tear Up Midwest, South
Midwest florists had more things to worry about last weekend than getting Mother's Day orders out, as thunderstorms and deadly tornados made their way through parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Georgia.
With the storms and twisters hitting late Sunday evening, many florists fortunately had already had their orders out the door and in the hands of their recipients.
Though the tornado that ripped through nearby Picher, Okla., didn't directly affect Vinta Blossom Shop in Vinta, or its sister shop, Duff's Miami Floral, in Miami, Okla., owner Robyn Sunday says the following days were filled with sadness.
The tornado killed seven people and leveled 114 homes and is said to have completely totaled the city, which is unlikely to be rebuilt, according to the Associated Press, due to longstanding pollution problems in the area.
Sunday says their Mother's Day deliveries were already finished by the time the storms rolled into the area later on in the evening, but they were still marked with tragedy as one of her designers completely lost her home.
The designer "wasn't home, but her husband was there," Sunday says. "He took cover and was safe. The shop in Miami will have the sad task of providing floral tributes for all of those who lost loved ones."
Over in Dublin, Ga., about 120 miles south of Atlanta, a tornado also struck on Sunday evening, killing one person. However, Jay Mullis of Classic Florist & Home Décor in Dublin says they stayed safe and all orders were delivered. "We got all our orders out on Saturday," he says.
Fifteen people were killed in southwestern Missouri when a tornado touched down about 8 miles north of Seneca. Wholesaler Jim Allan of Massa Distributing Company, about 18 miles from Seneca in Joplin, says none of his customers were affected, but a bridal store was "completely blown away."
"It's just unbelievable what these [storms] can do," Allan says.
--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org
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Site Focuses on Perks of Ecuador's Floral Industry
When Forbes.com turned its attention to flower imports from Ecuador just before Mother's Day, the story highlighted the industry's efforts to be proactive and environmentally friendly.
"This has been good news for mothers everywhere," writes Kerry A. Dolan for Forbes. "The lavish bouquets brightening the days of U.S. moms have meant steady paychecks and relatively safe jobs in countries such as Ecuador."
The story, which also was printed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, provided readers with an in-depth summary of Ecuador's floral industry. Among the highlights:
• "The flower industry and related businesses are providing steady jobs for 200,000 people in Ecuador... a country of 13.7 million people."
• The industry provides an alternative to drug trafficking for many workers.
• In Ecuador, "60 percent of the workforce in the flower business is female," and the story focused briefly on a woman working for Valleflor, a grower outside Quito, who "earns $375 a month, gets health care benefits and can pay $2 to see a dentist who comes to Valleflor 10 days a month."
"We are seeing more positive stories like this of late, providing a nice balance to the once-negative stories about flowers from offshore," says Jennifer Sparks, SAF's vice president of marketing. "This is good news for the floral industry and we are hopeful this shift in reporting will continue."
The story also acknowledged the real challenges growers in Ecuador face, including an uncertain future for trade agreements such as the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), which enables growers to send flowers to the United States duty free, and accusations by international human rights groups concerning worker harassment and pesticide-related health concerns at some farms.
Still the story ended positively, with Benito Jaramillo, owner of Valleflor, expressing optimism for Mother's Day sales: "The market has been strong," he says, "and it seems we are going to do the same amount of sales [on Mother's Day] as for Valentine's Day."
For more information on ATPDEA and the U.S./Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) refer to previous issues of E-Brief on the subject: April 9, April 16 and April 30.
--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org
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Floriculture Crops Production Value Increases
While the wholesale value of floriculture crops grew modestly in 2007, bucking a previous downward trend, the total number of floriculture producers declined from 2006 to 2007. Those were just two of the trends the Floriculture Crops 2007 Summary identified in a USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) report published in April.
Reversing the downward slide identified for 2006, the 2007 wholesale value of floriculture crops was up 2 percent to $4.1 billion from the revised 2006 valuation (revised based on farms that responded in 2007, but not in 2006, so their figures were added to the previous year). Once again California was the leading state among the 15 states surveyed, with crops valued at $1 billion, nearly identical to the values in 2005 and 2006. However, Florida, the second highest state, was up 14 percent from 2006 to $915 million. In 2006, Florida's value fell 16 percent. The top five states ranked in order of production value in 2007 were California, Florida, Michigan, Texas and New York, accounting for two-thirds of the total 15-state value, or $2.75 billion.
The total number of floriculture producers fell 6 percent to 6,140 from 6,562 in 2006. The tally of producers with sales of $100,000 or more fell 4 percent. These larger producers accounted for 96 percent of the total value of sales, but comprised only 47 percent of all producers.
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Segment Sales of Larger Producers |
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 | The value of bedding and garden plants was down 3 percent to $1.76 billion and represents the largest segment of floriculture production (45 percent). Potted flowering plants for the indoor or patio use segment was up 6 percent in sales. Foliage plant sales rose 19 percent, exactly reversing the decline in 2006. The wholesale value of cut flowers increased 1 percent compared to an increase of 4 percent in 2006. The value of cut cultivated greens was down 5 percent while total value of sales of propagative floriculture materials was down 1 percent.
SAF is working with USDA/NASS to reinstate the number of states surveyed from the current 15 state program to the 36 states of recent years before NASS budget cuts forced the downsizing of the survey. Since this is the only annual data on floriculture production collected nationwide, it is important to have as comprehensive a picture of this industry segment as possible.
--Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org
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Former SAF President Passes Away
John DeRemer Shanklin, 91, formerly of Pinellas Gladiolus, Inc. in Fort Myers, Fla., and president of SAF from 1957-1959, passed away on Sunday, May 4 at Hope Hospice in Bonita Springs, Fla. Known to his family and friends as Jack, Shanklin's career centered on the expansion and diversification of Pinellas Gladiolus, Inc. to include potted plants and chrysanthemums. He went on to introduce and implement a variety of transportation and logistics concepts to the industry.
Shanklin is survived by his wife of 69 years, Elizabeth Jackson, and three daughters, Susan Shanklin Threlkel, Mary Shanklin Pringos and Sally Shanklin Rosser.
Born in Philadelphia, in 1916, and raised in Clearwater, Fla., Shanklin earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Kentucky in 1938 and served as a flight engineer on a B-29 in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. Always the concerned and involved citizen, Shanklin participated in numerous councils, clubs and committees. He was a member and examiner on the Civil Service Board and an active senior member of the Ft. Myers Rotary Club. Shanklin also served as an organizing director and treasurer of Fort Myers Federal Savings and Loan.
Funeral services were held for Shanklin on Saturday, May 10 at Fort Myers Memorial Gardens. The family asks that donors decide how they wish to express their sympathy. Flowers can be passed along to a church or hospital where a larger number of people can benefit from them. Donations to the charity of your choice as well as kind thoughts and prayers are always acceptable.
--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org
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NEWSMAKERS
Teleflora Crowns America's Favorite Mom
Keeping flowers and local florists on the forefront of consumers' minds this Mother's Day sums up the result of Teleflora's "America's Favorite Mom" months-long promotion, says Teleflora Chairman Tom Butler, AAF. The contest for moms captured numerous headlines in newspapers and magazines, not to mention five back-to-back spots on the Today show, and a primetime TV special on NBC.
"For the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day, Teleflora wanted to go above and beyond how America traditionally celebrates motherhood by creating an unprecedented multi-media and marketing promotion," Butler says in a press release. "The America's Favorite Mom program has been an extraordinary success for Teleflora and its member florists and has created a whole new paradigm in the floral industry on how to drive tremendous sales and profits for our member florists."
Each of the 15 semi-finalists heard the good news via a delivery of flowers from a local Teleflora florist, and they were featured on the Today Show during the week prior to Mother's Day. The five finalists received $25,000 while the remaining 10 received $10,000, and all of the moms (with the exception of the two military moms currently stationed in Iraq) were flown to New York City, courtesy of Teleflora. "The families were overwhelmed," says Butler. "Some of these stories were from people who could really use the money."
On Sunday, Teleflora, with the help of the primetime special's hosts, Donny and Marie Osmond, announced that Patti Patton-Bader of Pasadena, Calif., took in the most votes from America to capture the title of America's Favorite Mom. The winner's son, Brandon, nominated her for the grand prize and told the story of her work with the company she founded, Soldier's Angels, an organization that sends care packages to deployed soldiers. (The Teleflora contest received about 20,000 nominations total.)
Patton-Bader and other semi-finalists from across the country, received bouquets from their local Teleflora florists. The local florists designed and delivered a series of arrangements to each recipient's home so it would look nice for the taping of the TV special, Butler says.
"In every [video] shot of each of those moms, there are flowers all over the house, shown on camera," Butler says. "It was fantastic, and the cooperation we had from the local florists at the homes of the finalists was superb."
Tony De la Torre, co-owner (and go-to deliveryman) of Edeleweiss Flower Boutique in Santa Monica, Calif., delivered the arrangements to Patton-Bader's home over the weekend. De la Torre says that when he knocked on the door, Patton-Bader opened it to find him and a crew of TV cameramen all looking at her. Her reaction, De la Torre says, was shock, and a question: "What's this?" He directed her to look at the oversized card telling her she was a finalist. Patton-Bader's next reaction? She left De la Torre waiting at the door, he says, and ran to the refrigerator to get him an Oscar Mayer Lunchables snack pack and present the deliveryman with a surprise of his own — as only a nurturing mom would do. The florist says that he really enjoyed playing a part in giving the winner her flowers, and he jokes about the snack, saying he felt like telling Patton-Bader, "gee, thanks, mom!"
In addition to providing the grand-prize winner's bouquet (and four to six other arrangements for the winner's home for filming), Edeleweiss Flower Boutique's designer and co-owner, Elizabeth Seiji, AIFD, made all of the bouquets featured on the NBC special, including Marie Osmond's hand bouquet and the arrangements in the Osmonds' dressing rooms.
--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org
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Florists Score Mother's Day Media Coverage
Mother's Day is a prime time to score coverage in the local media. E-Brief editors sought out a few samples of floral businesses making headlines and followed up to find out how they got them.
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Beneva Flowers & Gifts' exclusive ceramic
tote bouquets. | • Art Conforti knows that a great way to garner a little publicity for Mother's Day is to build relationships with local media. This Mother's Day, the owner of Beneva Flowers & Gifts in Sarasota, Fla., was featured in an almost 4-minute segment airing May 6 on the local ABC affiliate's noon news program. Marsha Panuche, the station's resident fashion consultant, raved about a selection of arrangements from Beneva, including two arrangements in ceramic tote bags with Panuche explaining they were "exclusive to Beneva." Beneva Flowers has a pre-existing relationship with the station because the florist supplies it with arrangements every week.
• Working with the media on previous occasions paid off for Villere Florist in Metairie, La. On May 11, The Times-Picayune of New Orleans featured an extensive article profiling Villere's operations in preparation for Mother's Day on the front page of the its "Living" section. The writer, Elizabeth Mullener, is a customer of Villere Florist, and The Times-Picayune relies on Villere to decorate its main headquarters at Christmas.
Roger Villere Jr., AAF, president of Villere Corporation, says the newspaper had originally only intended to include the shop along with several other florists in a shorter piece on Mother's Day.
"They did a more in-depth piece because the writer was so impressed with the flower operation," Villere explains.
Mullener spent four days learning the ins and outs of Villere's operation and even hit the road with the drivers while they were making their deliveries. While Villere is not aware of any new customers that have come in as a result of the article, he says several existing customers have mentioned it.
• Former SAF president Red Kennicott, AAF, chief executive officer at Kennicott Brothers Company in Chicago, appeared in a piece on his local ABC affiliate, just days before Mother's Day. The report, which also featured a local restaurant and salon, began with Kennicott stating the company's positive philosophy about the holiday: "The nice thing about Mother's Day is that all flowers are popular," he says.
Kennicott acknowledges that the rising energy costs have a direct affect on his business, during the segment, but asserts that flowers "are very affordable and maybe people can give up some of their more expensive things."
Kennicott Brothers' relationship with its local ABC affiliate dates back 10 to 15 years, although Kennicott admits he is not quite sure how it all started.
"They have been here before," explains Kennicott. "Every once in awhile they'll call about an item, especially around Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. It's an ongoing relationship."
For more helpful marketing ideas or tips for interviewing with the media, head over to the Industry Promotion section of the SAF Web site.
E-brief editors want to hear how you got good media coverage. Send your stories to mschimminger@safnow.org.
--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org
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BUSINESS BUILDERS
2008 Local Marketing Kit to Hit Mailboxes This Week
With consumers so choosy with discretionary spending, it is vital for florists to focus marketing efforts on promotions reminding customers about shop services and the benefits of giving a floral gift. To help drive orders to your shop, turn to a new sales tool from SAF. SAF's 2008 Local Marketing Kit, packaged in a skinny, white, rectangular box, was mailed to members late last week. If you are serious about increasing sales, open the box and put the materials and advice to work.
Inside the Kit:
• The Power of Giving Flowers Study: New Rutgers University research shows that people who give flowers are regarded as likable, friendly, emotionally intelligent and successful.
• 36 Promotional Strategies: Along with the PR tips for the new research, the Kit includes an action-plan calendar listing of when to send targeted press releases to reporters and ideas for newsletter stories.
• Two Posters: Frame and display the new eye-catching posters in your shop. The posters feature the headlines "Send an Instant Message," to reinforce your convenience and delivery services; and "Daily Departures to All Destinations," to emphasize your service of sending flowers everywhere.
• Two Radio Commercial Scripts: These new scripts play off the poster themes and are great for your next broadcast advertising or as on-hold messages.
Along with everything inside the Kit, you can find new print ads and fliers at safnow.org/kit2008. Postcards and statement stuffers that match the posters are available for order.
Stop waiting for orders to come in. Get people thinking about flowers and buying from your shop by using the new SAF Local Marketing Kit. These tools and marketing ideas come to you from SAF and its Consumer Marketing Committee. If you are not a SAF PR Fund supporter, contact SAF to join at (800) 336-4743 or memberinfo@safnow.org.
--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org
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Seeley Conference to Focus on Differing Theme
Setting your operation apart from others is the topic driving this year's Seeley Conference, the annual event that tackles issues specific to floriculture and focuses on the future of the industry.
The 23rd annual conference — "Profit Squeeze: Is Differentiation the Solution?" is June 21-24 at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and it will address the ways in which operations can profit from the business opportunities created by product differentiation.
Conference attendees will also receive a copy of SAF's fourth edition of The Changing Floriculture Industry: A Statistical Overview, which features an analysis of industry sales, production levels and trends for each segment of the floral industry.
--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org
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Businesses Invited to Yelp
Florists have a chance to better connect with their customers who are either happy with their bouquet or upset about wilted flowers, with a new business service recently launched by Yelp.com.
Yelp.com, as E-Brief reported in July, gives site members, or "yelpers," the ability to create reviews of their favorite and least-liked local businesses and rate them on a one- to five-star scale.
The only way for business owners to respond to reviewers, up until recently, was to join as members themselves and post a message to the members. Naturally, some owners couldn't resist the temptation to post positive reviews of their businesses, a practice that tried-and-true yelpers, needless to say, didn't appreciate.
So Yelp.com launched "Yelp for Business Owners." The new feature allows businesses to provide their own information and communicate with users. Technically, nothing is stopping owners from still posting their own reviews, but Jeremy Stoppleman, Yelp co-founder and CEO, says the new service encourages owners to "constructively participate" with reviewers.
Business owners who sign up on the site can send messages to customers, see how many have reviewed their page, update business information such as hours and promote the positive reviews on their own Web site with graphic tools, among other features.
Yelp also offers businesses sponsorship programs, advertising and other ways to communicate to the millions of visitors to the site each month.
--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org
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TRENDWATCH
Funeral Directors Brave Snowstorm for Florist Event
About 30 funeral directors recently trekked through a snowstorm to attend a luncheon and design show put on by a Michigan flower shop.
Blossoms Birmingham in Birmingham, Mich., sent out 100 invitations to area funeral directors for the event. Sixty funeral industry members initially committed to the event, but the unseasonable weather reduced the final count by about half. Still, for Norman Silk, co-owner of the shop, the event was a success — and one that increased business almost immediately.
"Within three days [of the event], we got an order for $1,200 from a funeral home that attended," says Silk, who partnered with a local, upscale restaurant for the luncheon portion of the event. (The event was held at The Reserve, a local banquet facility.) "We have never done business with them before."
The central element of the event, 40 funeral designs on display for attendees to inspect, received "very positive" feedback from the funeral directors, Silk says.
They "were grateful for the opportunity to view our flowers and talk to us," he says.
To keep costs in check, Silk worked through a local funeral home to borrow display caskets from Batesville Casket Company, and he negotiated with suppliers to get discounted rates on flowers, linens, food, wine, invitations and photography for the promotional event. To further promote the shop's funeral designs, Silk plans to create a bound book of arrangement photos for the funeral industry members who attended the event, along with informational material for families to take home after they visit the homes.
"Sympathy business is fairly consistent and doesn't experience the ups and downs of special event business," Silk says. "We are filling the need for upscale tributes providing high quality, creative arrangements using unusual colors and varieties of flowers, not standard florist flowers. We sell style not price."
Ready to strengthen your ties with funeral homes? Turn to SAF's Build Sympathy Business page. The page is filled with advice for establishing and maintaining relationships with funeral directors, including a suggested letter for funeral directors that addresses the funeral industry's use of "in lieu of flowers" in obituaries.
--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org
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Moms, Eco-Aware Consumers Active on Networking Sites
Stay-at-home moms, first-time home buyers and eco-friendly consumers all use social media sites, but they log on for very different reasons, according to a new report from a consumer research company in New York, as reported by AdAge.com.
Working with Advertising Age, Simmons Research recently dissected its National Consumer Study to identify categories of individuals who tend to be active on blogs, message boards and sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Those categories include:
• The Socially Isolated. People who are "generally unhappy with their lives and feel alone" are 12 percent "more likely than the average person to use blogs, message boards or social-networking sites. They also post comments on blogs at least twice a month; personal, music, consumer-product and video-game blogs are most visited."
• Green Customers. These consumers "prefer to buy products in recycled packages and eschew products that pollute. They are older (50-plus) and are most likely to go online for health or financial information."
• Brand-Loyal Consumers. "This group shies away from buying unknown brands just for a bargain and prefers to buy brand-name goods ... They're 21 percent more likely to read environmental blogs and 22 percent more likely to use professional-networking sites to make new contacts."
• Stay-at-Home Moms. "They visit parenting blogs five times more often than average. They're also active on social networks, blogs and chat forums but tend to stay away from podcasting."
• First-Time Home Buyers. "This under-35 set also includes very active social networkers, bloggers and message-board users. They also rank high in texting, podcasting and business networking. They use social networks to keep in touch but also to find information."
The story also reported that while nearly 80 percent of marketers "see social media as a way to gain a competitive edge ... Fewer than 8 percent have budgets devoted to" marketing through that media.
For Richard Dudley of The Bloomery in Butler, Pa., the question of social media sites isn't black and white. While the shop actively blogs and has posted videos to YouTube, Dudley says MySpace and Facebook haven't been fertile marketing ground.
"Neither of these sites provides tools better than what I can do in other ways," he says. "Their allure is solely in the audience they command, but one that I think doesn't want to be overtly marketed to in these venues."
To read more about what consumers do online — women, in specific — turn to a previous issue of E-Brief that highlights the sites most visited by the female demographic, which comprises more than 50 percent of online users.
--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org
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Workers Want Macs, Not PCs
Spurred on by youth-friendly ads, "cool" gadgetry and increased functionality, workers from myriad fields are asking employers to ditch company PCs in favor of Macs, according to a recent Business Week story.
"Once an object of devotion for students and artists, the Mac is becoming the first choice of many," writes Peter Burrows for the magazine. "Surging demand for the machines led Apple to predict revenues will rise 33 percent in the second quarter, to $7.2 billion, even in the face of an economic slowdown."
What's behind the enthusiasm for workplace Macs? Apple, the company that creates Macs, has penetrated the mainstream market with gadgets such as the iPod and iPhone, according to the story. Added to that, Vista, the latest operating system from Microsoft, has disappointed many PC users because it lacks "compelling features" and has "maddening glitches."
"Microsoft has let this happen," says David B. Yoffie, a Harvard Business School professor and Intel board member. "They've created a huge opening for Apple."
The transition from PC to Mac is easier than ever before for florists, regardless of their point of sale system, says Renato Cruz Sogueco, SAF's chief information officer. "A Mac can run as a client on both RTI and FTD Advantage, which run on Linux and are terminal-based systems," Sogueco says. "Plus, any Mac with an Intel chip, versus a PowerPC chip (G3, G4, G5), can run on any operating system." Today's Macs also can run on "virtualization" software, meaning that users can use Mac and Windows operating systems simultaneously.
Being cool, however, has its price: The average PC is around $960, compared to the average Mac price tag, $1,525.
--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org
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LIFE AT WORK
Old Habits Die ... Pretty Easily?
Procrastinating online again? Don't worry. New research suggests that, while it's impossible to completely erase bad habits, creating other, more productive habits is easier than you may think — and doing so can lead to new levels of creativity and innovation.
"Brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks," according to a recent story in The New York Times.
The trick to establishing those "new, innovative tracks," according to Dawna Markova, author of "The Open Mind," is a willingness to embrace new ideas, especially when you are in a position of authority or leadership.
"A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities," Markova says.
Markova and her business partner MJ Ryan, author of "This Year I Will..." (and a contributor to SAF's The Power of Giving Flowers PR Campaign), argue many executives surround themselves "with like-thinkers," an action that can diminish a company's "intellectual diversity" and an owner's ability to see (or be introduced to) outside ideas. And to illustrate just how easily a person's brain grows accustomed to a particular way of doing something, Markova suggests: "Try lacing your hands together. You habitually do it one way. Now try doing it with the other thumb on top. Feels awkward, doesn't it? That's the valuable moment we call confusion, when we fuse the old with the new."
If you've recently picked up a new, productive habit or kicked a bad one, E-brief editors want to hear your story. E-mail kpenn@safnow.org with your ideas.
--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org
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Can the Cursing at Work, Survey Says
Don't bring your vices to work, especially if you're in the habit of dropping expletives often, according to findings from a recent survey of more than 2,000 employers — if you don't, it could mean your job.
A survey by theladders.com, a search engine for jobseekers looking for work in the $100,000+ range, shows that 36 percent of employers have issued a formal warning for employees that use swear words while on the job and 6 percent of those bosses have fired employees for the same offense. And, more than 81 percent of employers "find working alongside a foul-mouthed employee unacceptable."
Other fireable offenses include excessive workplace gossip (36.5 percent), drinking while at work (35.2 percent), leaving the office without permission (33.6 percent) and too many personal calls (28 percent).
Though a large portion of employers reported that they would not like to work with someone who constantly uses bad language, there are a few that believe "allowing regular use of profanity builds staff unity," according to a recent article published in the Leadership and Organization Development Journal. The article finds that younger managers find this behavior acceptable as long as employees use the profanity to relieve tension, not create it in the workplace. "As long as employees are swearing, they may not be happy, but they are coping," the article states about employee behavior in high-stress jobs.
Does cursing hamper job performance? Would you consider it a fireable offense? Send your opinion on this topic to cfoster@safnow.org.
--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Are Your Digital Deadbolts in Place? Find out at SAF Palm Beach 2008
What if... a hacker stole all of your customers' credit card numbers? It could happen in a moment if your business systems don't have the right protections in place — and when it does, lost customer trust will be just the beginning of your troubles. Learn how to safeguard your business and keep your security systems up to date at the SAF convention session "Digital Deadbolts — Is Your Business Secure?" during SAF Palm Beach 2008, Sept. 17-20 in Palm Beach, Fla. Led by members of SAF's Technology Committee, this important session will show you how to identify your security weak points and how to shore them up. You'll also learn what retailers will need to do if the new Payment Card Industry Digital Security Standard is put into place.
Full convention program details will be online next week and in the mail in June. Want more info now? Contact Laura Weaver, CMP, at 800-336-4743 or lweaver@safnow.org.
--Shelley Estersohn
sestersohn@safnow.org
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On the Horizon
- "Keys to Communication" by SAF's PFCI featuring Sharon McGukin, AAF, AIFD, PFCI: July 7, 2-3 p.m. in Chicago, in conjunction with the AIFD National Symposium.
- SAF Palm Beach 2008: Sept. 17-20, 2008, at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla.
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REGULAR FEATURES
E-Brief Top Five
With Mother's Day looming last week, it's no surprise that E-Brief's most-read story was our reminder that it's "Test Order Time for Mother's Day Flowers." The story that took second place also carried Mother's Day impact — news about SAF's continuing response to negative advertising. Here's the full list. Click the titles to read what you missed.
1. Test Order Time for Mother's Day Flowers
2. SAF Responds to More Negative Advertising
3. 1-800-Flowers Acquires Gift Basket Company
4. Philadelphia Florist Gets TV time
5. Jay Leno, Ladies' Home Journal Talk Flowers
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Product Spotlight: Marketing Materials
 Market your business to consumers with SAF's Marketing Materials. Choose from preprinted postcards, statement stuffers and posters featuring designs like "Daily Inspiration," "We Do It Fresh" and "Special. Delivery." Don't forget this month's coupon at the back of the 2007-2008 Resource Guide! Call today, mention the coupon and receive a free pack of coordinating statement stuffers for every selected preprinted postcard design you order. The 2008 Local Marketing Kit is now also available online.
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On the Discussion Boards
A new post was just added to the discussion boards looking for information on the most popular Memorial Day gravesite tributes. The poster wants to know whether "silks, fresh, greens or plants" are the most requested for the arrangements. Do you have some advice to share about what people are looking for?
Or start your own discussion.
--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org
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Elementary-School Age Children Not Big Consumer Base
Slightly more than 83 percent of respondents to last week's e-poll do not actively market to elementary-school age children. Only close to 17 percent do reach out and market to that age range.
--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org
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Survey Says: Ecuador's Imports Value on the Decline in 2008
Has the flow of Ecuador's fresh flower imports to the U.S. peaked? It's certainly too early in the year to tell, but numbers for the first three months of the year provide an inkling. As shown in the chart, the trend in Ecuador's annual cut flower imports showed a three year rise through 2007, hitting more than $145.1 million in 2007. However, in the first quarter of '08, values decreased from $48.9 million in 2007 to $43.7 million this year. So far, the value of cut rose imports from January through March are down from $30.3 million last year to $26.4 million in 2008.
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