AIFD National Symposium 2016

Guest Blogger: Beth O’Reilly AIFD, TMF

Nothing radiates the fabulous world of cut flowers and cutting edge floral design like attending an AIFD National Symposium.  AIFD, which stands for American Institute of Floral Designers, is an organization of professional florists whose mission is to advance the art of professional floristry through education, service and leadership while holding the highest of standards for this art form.  Members of the organization mentor others in the industry who have hopes of completing their accreditation with the Institute and carrying the coveted AIFD initials at the end of their name. 

In the floral world, AIFD accreditation is something similar to holding a Master’s degree in floristry and many designers come from around the world to test in hopes of earning their credentials. The buzz of testing, presenting and being a part of this one-of-a-kind event all happens during the annual AIFD National Symposium. 

Every year Symposium is held in a different city around the US and this year it will be held in sunny Orange County, California.  The theme to this years’ symposium is “Inspiration” and showcases some of the brightest and best designers in the world along with marketing ideas and hands on classes. It is sure to be an inspirational journey for all those in attendance. 

As an AIFD Event Distribution Partner, Mayesh Wholesale Florist, headquartered in Los Angeles, California will take on the gargantuan task of receiving, consolidating and distributing all the flowers for the entire four-day event. It will take a huge team just to facilitate the flowers from Mayesh’s distribution center to the symposium hotel workroom. If you have never seen the flower work room of an AIFD symposium, you haven’t seen anything like it! It will be a sea of amazing flowers, people and designs. 

The work room is where the magic happens. At any moment during the four-day extravaganza, designers and their teams can be found working away in the workroom of the hotel. This room is special and not just anyone has access to it. An individual either needs to be a volunteer or appointed design helper to access this space. Anyone interested in volunteering should register and contact headquarters to be put on the volunteer list. It is definitely an action spot during the event and worth dedicating some time to volunteer for, if nothing more than to see what happens in this amazing space.   

The stage programs are equally exciting complete with a state of the art working stage, lights and two huge viewing screens on either side of the stage. With over 1000 people in attendance, they have spared nothing to make sure every seat in the house is the perfect seat. On some days up to five programs will run back-to-back featuring flower trends and amazing displays. The build up from one program to the next will leave all those in attendance on the edge of their seats. The final day is always ultra-fabulous and culminates with well-known designers and their creations to kick off the finale.

The stage programs that happen daily are truly entertaining, visually intense and are presented by the best designers in the world. Anyone needing a flower jolt need only attend a symposium to get re-energized and ready to take on the flower world. It is an INSPIRATIONAL event you won’t want to miss, July 3-7 at the Marriott Anaheim.    

You do not have to be an AIFD member to attend and registration is open to anyone who is interested. For more information visit www.AIFD.org.