Vans Floral Show

One of the many perks of being a florist is that often vendors will have exhibits and shows open to all florists in the area. One particular vendor located in South Bend, Indiana is called Vans Floral Products, and I was recently able to attend a Christmas and Fall exhibit.
Upon arriving at Vans warehouse, I realized how many other florists were attending and even recognizing a few, I was able to converse on the latest challenges presented to us in our particular field. We laughed about particular customers and commented on the optimisism for the upcoming mum season.
Then I was able to shop. If your company attends the design show, you can receive up to a 10% discount on any merchandise purchased at their warehouse. I loaded up on fall ribbon, preserved oak leaves and cattails, as well as vases and supplies for our designs.

After making my purchases and getting refreshments, I took my seat for the show to begin. Some of the new features for the show included a new variety of fake snow to be used with fresh product, which incorporated the outdoors into someone's home. It was magical to see the light fluff fall upon the design while the still mild sun beat upon my back through the windows. I also learned of new techniques in which to entice customers in buying things that are mandatory in their  budgets but which allowed my department and their homes to reap the benifits.

As I was driving home, I considered all of the new designs I had witnessed and felt inspired and excited about the holiday season in my floral shop. I still felt a little nervous about the economy causing my sales to plunge but I knew that shows like this allowed me to be the best at my profession.