Right now I am posting from the 2012 Ohio Florists Association (OFA) Short Course, the largest horticulture event in North America. OFA speakers at this year include Sam Kass, White House Assistant Chef and the Food Initiative Coordinator and Joe Lamp’l (a.k.a. joe gardener®), who will speak about healthy eating and ways to find and influence the ever elusive consumer in today’s market, respectively.
ALSO speaking are Green Profit Magazine’s editor-at-large, Ellen Wells, and me! We will address trends in gardening for 2013 and beyond. Gardening for a healthy life, finding your bliss, and ‘plants with a purpose’ are some of this year’s prevailing trends.
We research global consumer trends to see what’s happening from home design to fashion and we talk with our trusted media sources and garden experts worldwide. Trends drive consumers and consumers drive sales. When you’re ahead of the curve, your company becomes a trendsetter.
The 2012 OFA Short Course offers education, products, and events for all areas of the industry: growers, garden centers, florists, interior plantscapers, nurseries, landscapers, and the next generation of horticulture professionals.
Michael V. Geary, CAE, chief executive officer of OFA said, “The horticulture industry can play an important role in helping to solve some of society’s greatest problems. Plants are more than just pretty. Research has shown that plants, flowers and trees, are important to our health in a variety of ways.”
Gardening trends aren’t just about what colors and shapes we are seeing in the garden, but how gardening affects our overall happiness. And consumers are beginning to unplug and tune in to nature.
The OFA Short Course is held July 14 - 17, 2012 at The Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH. McCoy and Wells speak July 17th at 3pm.
For more information or to register for OFA visit http://ofashortcourse.org
For more information on trends and why they are important to your business, check out our free presentation on Why Trends?
-Suzi @SuziMcCoyGMG
