SAF Wednesday E-Brief - 05/30/2007  (Plain Text Version)

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In this issue:
•  You want it...you got it! Your E-Brief feedback worked.
Headlines
•  Mother's Day 2007: Dissecting the Numbers
•  Texas Florists Participate in Funeral Directors Convention
•  Low-Price Giant Takes on Organic
Newsmakers
•  Home Ecology Lands in Natural Health
•  Florists Participate In Fund-raiser
Trends and Tips
•  Did You Know ...
•  Scammers Try Duping Florists
•  Rethinking 'Obvious' Solutions
Mark Your Calendar
•  Looking for Fresh Promotion Ideas? Don't miss this session at SAF Palm Springs 2007.
Regular Features
•  E-Poll Results: Florists Reach Out to Funeral Directors
•  Product Spotlight: FedEX
•  Average Spending for Mother's Day Tops $40

 

Texas Florists Participate in Funeral Directors Convention

Funeral directors in Texas will hear directly from florists about sympathy flowers, design trends and why "in lieu of flowers" is so problematic for the floral industry next month at the Texas Funeral Directors Association's annual convention in Corpus Christi.

"It's not the first time we've participated in the event, but [our participation in the past] hasn't been consistent," says Dianna Doss, AAF, executive director of the Texas State Florists' Association. "The major goal is to open a dialogue with the funeral directors to discuss alternate phrases [for 'in lieu of'] and to share with them the importance of having flowers at a funeral. We want to show them how the floral industry can tailor designs to the family's needs."

At the event, June 11 to 15, TSFA will have a trade fair booth, complete with trend information and research from SAF on the positive, emotional benefits of flowers, and the group will host a 90-minute educational seminar. Throughout the weekend, TSFA leaders also will conduct "mini interviews" with funeral directors to better understand the funeral industry's biggest issues and concerns -- information that will appear later in association publications, Doss says.

 "The TSFA Board is committed to continuing the dialogue," she says. "This is a beginning."

Read about SAF's latest effort to help members reach out to local funeral directors in last week's issue of E-Brief.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org