More Than a Conference: How AIFD Symposium Can Elevate Your Floral Career
With Mother's Day behind them (and, for Lori, the best surprise ever — a grandbaby, two weeks early), Vonda and Lori turn to the next big thing on the calendar: AIFD Symposium "Elevate" in Orlando. It's the last week of early registration, but as Vonda says right up front, if you're listening late, it's still worth every nickel. Lori's worry was sounding salesy; the fix is transparency. Vonda co-chairs the programming with Randy, Lori has been building the social media reels, and between them they've seen behind the curtain of every program. Their goal in this episode is simple: show florists who've never dipped a toe into a national convention exactly what that price tag actually buys. Lori's comparison, fresh from marveling at her son's college tuition versus what he learned: it's a crash course of summer school.
What actually happens before the main stage lights up
The experience starts before Symposium officially does. On Wednesday, July 1, Tom Bowling leads an immersive design experience called The Art of the Arrival — participants build the installation around the registration desk (combining fresh and Oasis product, sponsored by Winward, Flowers of Columbia, and Jet Fresh Flowers), so their work greets every attendee all week. Two more immersive experiences follow with Hanneke Frankema and Solomon Leong. Then there's the industry showcase, where Flower Clique will have a booth — and the hosts' advice is: don't be shy. Walk every aisle, ask questions, interact. Calling them "booths" almost undersells how creative and over-the-top some of them are. New this year, Bill McKinley and his crew are creating an interactive lobby experience called Silhouettes and Selfies — inanimate scenes brought to life with silhouettes, no words at all — ready for photo ops at the opening reception where, as Bill puts it, you catch up with friends you may not have seen for a whole year.
Seven main-stage programs, and the classes in between
There are seven main-stage programs — three Friday, three Saturday, one Sunday — plus rise-and-shine workshops and lectures each morning. Vonda and Lori play soundbites from the presenters themselves throughout the episode, and the range is striking. Amber Kirkland's hands-on workshop, Don't Box Me In, is about designing structures with movement that escape the container while still honoring the principles and elements. Donald Yim and Tim Farrell bring The Dragon and the Wolf (sponsored by Teleflora), a program about culture, background, and where ideas come from — "I can show you thousands of techniques," Donald says, but the mindset behind them matters more. There's a practical AI session aimed at shop owners with too much to do and not enough budget for a big crew — a topic Lori calls "worth the price right there" — plus a lecture on authenticity in an AI world. A Brazilian florist-architect raised in a flower shop shows how monumental designs scale down to sellable shop work (sponsored by Smithers-Oasis). Starflower, sponsored by FTD, puts a team of designers on stage reinterpreting NASA imagery into floral design, complete with fun facts about plants in space. Solomon Leong and his team from the Chinese Society of AIFD (sponsored by CAL Flowers) teach storytelling with flowers — how you portray each flower and frame each composition. Artistry in Farewell, with Hitomi Gilliam (sponsored by Accent Decor), tackles sympathy work through a sustainability lens that's been pressure-tested for profitability and realism. And Hanneke Frankema's program caps Sunday — her hands-on workshop even builds pieces that appear in her own main-stage show, which is probably why it's nearly sold out. Vonda's confession: "I wish that I wasn't in charge of symposium, because I would be in that class."
A schedule built for shop owners
One deliberate change this year: instead of a final-night gala that many attendees skipped to catch flights home, Symposium closes Sunday with a keynote speaker and awards luncheon honoring AIFD's leaders, with designs by a top designer and flowers from The Elite Flower (the luncheon is sponsored by the Bill Doran Company). That means you can be on a 7:30 flight that evening and back at work Monday morning — or stay and take the family to Disney. Friday night still brings the awards and induction ceremony, sponsored by American Grown — a celebration of members who worked incredibly hard for those letters.
The real return on investment
The thread running through every soundbite is the one Deborah De La Flor names directly: Symposium is "ammunition." Whatever you absorb — a technique, a color combination, a new flower — fuels your presentations, your shop, and your enthusiasm until the next one. It's also a family reunion; nobody there gives off an air of pretentiousness, and no one should stay home fearing they'll feel inadequate. Tim Farrell sums up the hosts' philosophy: floral design is a lifelong learning opportunity, and we elevate each other by teaching each other — so that those being elevated now will someday elevate somebody else. Lori's closing challenge: if this episode sways you over the fence, come find Vonda or Lori in Orlando and tell them.
Key takeaways
- Symposium isn't one event — it's immersive experiences, workshops, lectures, seven main-stage programs, and a trade showcase packed into a few days.
- Think of the registration fee like tuition: measured against the education and year-long "ammunition" you take home, it's an investment in yourself.
- The presenters are chosen for their heart to teach — expect authenticity, not pretentiousness, whether you're brand new or a longtime member.
- The new closing luncheon format means you can fly home Sunday night and open your shop Monday morning.
- Missed early registration? Go anyway — the hosts have never left a convention wondering why they went.