FSFA Gateway to the Americas Cup Review

This is my third FSFA event and once again I am blown away at the talent, dedication and the sense of family.

Now that I have attended more than once, I have come to the conclusion that FSFA is just a flower school masquerading as a Florist association.

I make this claim after seeing what goes on at these events. Workshop after workshop, hands on this and hands on that style demonstrations.

Certifications are how florists are rated among each other. Most organizations have their own certification AIFD, PSCI, and in this case FSFAMD.

I have written about this subject before so here I go again. Many professional florists have multiple certifications, and it is an alphabet soup of letters.

My suggestion is that, if anyone has achieved so many titles that the letters are longer than their names, there should be a super certification that can include them all. Like a “Z” for Zenith. (just my .02)

Top designers and educators not only offer guidance they offer support, encouragement and a sincere willingness to share. This is what makes an association great and the results are evident in the designs they are creating.

This year FSFA also hosted the Gateway to the Americas design competition. This thirty-year-old competition created and controlled by Gus and Deborah De La Flor is one of the events that up-and-coming designers want to win.

FSFA has their own design competition of the year competition which is a great steppingstone to bigger and more competitive competitions.

I have attended so many floral events you might think that I could be a designer, and while I have my own talents, I am humbled by the creativity that I see at so many of these.

The Gateway to the Americas event consisted of four main themed tasks over three days.

The overall winner was Eric Lin from Taiwan. Eric is only 19 years old and yet he beat all the other 19 contestants. I noticed his work from the first challenge and knew he would be in the top 2.

1st

Place Eric Lin (Taiwan)

2nd

Place Aleksandra Flak (Poland)

3rd

Place Anna Dementieva (Ukraine)

I could list all the events taking place at this gathering, but my job is not to do a detailed documentary but to catch the vibe and hopefully tease you into wanting to attend next year.

The vibe was infectious and it is mainly due to the dedicated group of florists that breathe life into every aspect of a successful association. I have now gotten to know some main players. Bob Tucker, Michael Smith, Ralph Giordono, Deborah and Gus De la Flor, Ian Prosser and Michele Morgan to name a few.

These folks and many others are willing to share their time and expertise with anyone willing to ask. They are the glue that keeps these associations running and relevant. Without them this association, like many others around the US, would not survive.

Thank you FSFA for having me and I look forward to next year. I did my best to capture the best of what I saw and invite you to view my YouTube review.

Click here to watch @ Flowersandcents.com

Thank you.
Williee Armellini
Editor/ Owner; Flowersandcents.com
[email protected]
The original Floral Blog since 2001