We Asked: What's Inspiring You? (Live! from AIFD Symposium 2022)
What happens when you plant yourself in the atrium of AIFD National Symposium and ask everyone who walks by one simple question? Lori and Ellie planned to do it for an hour. It turned into four. In this special live episode, recorded on the floor of Symposium in Las Vegas, nineteen floral professionals — from third-generation shop owners to industry legends — answer Lori's famous podcast question: "What's inspiring you right now?"
The answer almost nobody expected
Lori worried everyone would say the same thing — being face to face again after years of Zoom. Some did. Kelly Mace of Smithers-Oasis summed up the mood: after living in a Zoom world, simply hugging people and reconnecting felt like a gift. Kevin Ylvisaker said seeing friends he hadn't seen in three years inspired him even more than the flowers on the main stage.
But the answers went far beyond reunion. Monica Michelle of Bloom TV, a first-timer, pointed to the willingness of people across the industry to help each other grow. Marisa Guerrero, who owns Debbie's Bloomers in El Paso and serves on the AIFD Foundation board, was moved by the generosity pouring into scholarship funds. Pat Scace got excited about cool plants — and rattled off favorites most of us couldn't pronounce. And Julie Poeltler of Iowa found her inspiration in, of all things, water tubes: thousands of them, hidden inside structures so flowers could survive as part of the artistry.
"They're buying artwork"
The moment that gave Lori goosebumps came from Michelle Peters, a florist from Albany, New York. After 27 hard months, she was feeling burnt out — until she heard one line at Symposium: anybody can buy flowers anywhere, but when customers walk into a flower shop, they're buying artwork. "Everything changed," she said. "I'm all pumped up again." If you've been running on empty since the pandemic years, that reframe might be exactly what you need too.
The PULSE program and a stage full of heart
A thread running through the whole episode is the Teleflora Education Specialists' main stage program, PULSE, which Vonda and Julie Poeltler presented alongside their fellow specialists. Helen Miller, Tim Farrell, Joyce Mason-Monheim, and Lottie McKinnon all described what it meant to be part of it — a team that planned for a year over Zoom and never physically rehearsed together until Symposium week. Lottie, Teleflora's education program director, even brought live music into the program through a composer friend, and persuaded her husband to fly in and perform. Lori, watching from the audience with Ellie, admits she teared up at least four times — and overheard attendees behind her calling it the best main stage yet. Renee Tucci even danced, well outside her comfort zone.
Advice for anyone who's never been
Several guests spoke directly to listeners who have never attended a Symposium. Theresa Colucci, who ran hard goods procurement while also running her shop Meadow Scent in Gardiner, New York, described arriving at her first convention scared and knowing nobody — then finding her people in the workroom. Kelly Mace recommended volunteering: there's always a job to be done, and it's the fastest way to get entrenched in the industry. Tom Bowling, at his 33rd Symposium, urged designers to look globally for inspiration, while Tim Farrell's advice was grounded: study what actually sells in your own market before chasing every trend.
And Marisa Guerrero shared something every shop owner should hear: floral scholarships go unused every year because people simply don't apply. The AIFD Foundation, SAF, and state associations all offer grants — if cost is what's keeping you home, start asking.
Key takeaways
- Inspiration is everywhere at industry events — in the workroom, the mechanics, and the people, not just the main stage.
- Customers aren't just buying flowers from your shop; they're buying artwork. Let that reframe fight your burnout.
- You don't need to be a designer to belong at AIFD — volunteer, work processing, be a gopher, and you'll find your people.
- Scholarships from AIFD Foundation, SAF, and state associations go unclaimed every year. Apply.
- Mark your calendar: Symposium 2023 heads to Chicago in early July.