Our yearly symposium could not be produced without the generous support of our industry partners. As anticipation builds for us to be together this July in Chicago, we checked in with some of our partners to see what they have in store for us. We’ll be sharing these highlight previews from our partners with you over the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more installations in the Symposium Partner Highlight Series!

Diamond Elite Partner FTD

FTD has been a proud partner of AIFD Symposium for more than 20 years.

Janet Justus says they are excited to be back with us again this year because, “We wholeheartedly believe in education and in the mission of AIFD to ‘advance the art of professional floral design through education, service and leadership.’ Plus, we love networking with our AIFD friends and the floral community.”

FTD is generously sponsoring two main stage programs: Per Benjamin’s program on July 4^th, The World of Colour According to Per Benjamin, and Elly Lin’s finale program on July 5^th, The Essence of Flower. Per Benjamin is the 2002 Interflora World Cup Champion. He served as a commentator for the 2019 FTD World Cup, and as a judge for the 2022 FTD America’s Cup. Elly Lin took 3rd place in the 1997 Interflora World Cup. She owns FTD member shop Taipei Florist in Taiwan.

Partner Expo: Janet shares, “We are participating in the Partners’ Expo again this year. We will be highlighting FTD Flower Exchange, our online buying platform to provide floral purchasing solutions for FTD Members. We have partnered with world-class growers to leverage the buying power of thousands of florists to provide the most competitive prices all year long. Additionally, we will be showcasing our versatile Signature Collection containers available through FTD Marketplace.”

2023 World Cup: The prestigious 2023 Interflora World Cup design competition is coming up on September 7-9^th in Manchester, England. FTD is thrilled to be sponsoring Jenny Thomasson AIFD, representing FTD and the USA, and Lea Romanowski AIFD representing FTD and Canada! To learn more about the competition, including how to volunteer or purchase tickets, go to: www.interflora.co.uk/page/world-cup

Best Ways to Follow FTD:

Facebook @Mercury Network

Inspiration Found Here:

Gold Elite Partner Hawaiian Tropical Flower Council (HTFC) and Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association (HFNA)

Symposium attendees have been fortunate enough to enjoy the tropical flowers from HTFC and HFNA for over 10 years now. They say that they continue their support of AIFD because it is always exciting to see AIFD’s designers use Hawaii Products in such a way that highlights their skill, and the beauty of the products.

HTFC and HFNA are generously sponsoring Tropical Heatwave presented by Jackie Smith Johns AIFD and Lottie Nys AIFD.

Partner Expo: Get your cameras ready because HTFC and HFNA will be back at our Partner Expo again this year! Judy Schilling shares, “we are always excited to share a Hawaii floriculture design on our table!”

Coming Soon! The council and association are planning a digital version of 3rd edition NeoTropica Guide!

Best Ways to Follow HTFC & HFNA:

Facebook @NeoTropicaHawaii Instagram @NeoTropicaHawaii

Youtube: @HFNA

Inspiration Found Here:

https://hawaiineotropica.com/#!AdrienneChin

Bronze Partner Rosaprima

Rosaprima has been supporting and partnering with AIFD for 6 years now.

Partner Expo: Keep an eye out for the Rosaprima table at our Expo. Nicholas Chang says, “We will be showcasing our newest exclusive rose RP Moab, as well as new product lines, Ranunculus and Anemones”.

Best Ways to Follow Rosaprima:

Facebook: @Rosaprima – Iconic Roses for Life’s Extraordinary Moments Instagram: @rosaprimaroses

Twitter: @rproses

Inspiration Found Here:

Topaz Partner Florida State Floral Association (FSFA)

FSFA has been partnering with AIFD for over 15 years. Executive Director Bob Tucker says, “We are always excited to be at National Symposium and participate with the AIFD Foundation”. They are also sponsoring entertainment for one of the breakout sessions.

“We are one of the only state associations that welcomes anyone from any state, or country, to become a member. We welcome all and are one of the top three state associations that has been in continuous operation for over 100 years.”

Partner Expo: FSFA will be back at the Partner Expo this year and Bob tell us that we should look for Bird of Paradise, and a challenge to win a big prize! Also at their table Bob says, “We will be featuring all that FSFA does in the floral community. We have an International Design competition that has had designers from over 30 countries participate.”