The Independent Floral Designers Association is proud to announce that our member, Michelle Rhynes, is the winner of the AIFD Symposium package.
IFDA is a floral education association that was founded in 1988 in the Washington DC area by designers who came together to share education, freelance for one another and share props. During the pandemic we pivoted to Zoom meetings and presentations and attracted members from all over the world. We currently have 76 members from the US and from Australia and Canada. Over the years, we have been lucky to have had live and zoom presentations by Hitomi Gilliam, Rene Van Rems, Neil Whittaker, Susan McCleary, Tom de Houwer, Holly Chapple and other luminaries of the floral world.
Michelle is a two-year member of IFDA. She currently works as an accountant while pursuing her interest in floral design and her dream is to transition to full time design work. She has worked in floral shops, studied at Floriology and plans to test for her CFD. She is also enrolled in the first phase of the EMC program.
Michelle is the 5th IFDA member who has won this incredible opportunity and will attend Symposium from July 12th to 15th in Palm Springs, California. After her trip, she will make a presentation to IFDA including a slide show and give us her impressions of her first symposium.
She will have the opportunity to attend the many stage presentations by national and international floral artists, attend the vendor showcase and see new fresh and hard goods from a variety of vendors. She will have the wonderful experience of meeting floral design lovers from all over the world and will soak up the atmosphere of being with so very many talented dedicated people. She will also have the chance of working backstage with our member Terry Godfrey, another fantastic opportunity for a new attendee.
It all be an experience that she will never forget and an important milestone on her floral journey. We wish her all the best and look forward to her report to IFDA upon her return.
We wish to thank AIFD for this gift of attendance to Symposium year after year. It has made a big difference in the lives of the 5 members who have attended and we appreciate this immensely.
