SAF 26 Amelia Island final

After 141 conventions where people convene, SAF has this down to a science.

490 people took over the Ritz and proceeded to have a very successful convention. Of those 143 were first time attendees!

What could be the reason so many folks took time off work to travel to a fancy hotel on a semi remote island in August in Florida? Perhaps they are aware that SAF offers many opportunities to learn, connect and grow when so many like-minded folks are in attendance.

I see my job as an observer not a documentarian, so I try to feel the vibe of the event without laboring over each important session.

To start with the hotel was located just outside Jasonville Florida, and as you traveled closer to the destination you were in a lovely tree-covered street. I can imagine at night one might expect to see Godzilla emerge from the shadows.

So, we open with a Presidents welcoming reception and this is where you get to see who has showed up and its game on.

There are many events happening throughout the day to capture your attention. This year they had a breeder’s gallery where several breeders displayed their latest offerings.

Outstanding varieties Competition is a very serious event for growers and breeders. Many Flowersandcents.com sponsors were awarded ribbons. Including; Delifor, RosaPrima, and Esmeralda.

All of the results can be found here.

Of course, there was a very crowded session about AI, and it has brought me to the conclusion that there is no escape from AI. It is already all around us and in the background of everything we do digitally. Everyone must embrace it like or not. Clearly there are advantages with its ability to make our jobs easier and faster. However, AI might replace your job or make you more productive, but it cannot replace people. Humans must be in control, or the outcome will not be human.

It was suggested that in 10 years there will be no social media as we know it today. AI will change all that. Consumers will no longer just want to know where to buy flowers, they want recommendations about where to buy and why. Hang on to your asters this is going to get interesting.

As always there was a very short Vendor showcase where about 30 vendors welcomed attendees to view tier products. I can understand that setting up such a display for only four hours is expensive and many told me that they wish there was more time. With said I wonder if many vendors missed a golden opportunity to place their products and sales staff in front of so many potential customers?

The Silvia Cup Design Competition is probably the biggest event taking place over the three days. I believe 18 contestants showed up to create Copacabana style arrangements. This is a very serious competition with money to be won so we give them lots of space and encouragement.

Winner – Cindy Hall AIFD CFD CF KMF

First Runner Up – Sam Prom-Chiem AIFD

Second Runner Up – Alejandro Figueira Fernandes AIFD, CEJ, CFD, PFCI

The NEX GEN event hosted by Details Flower Software and BloomNation was an extravaganza in itself. This gang of young folks are truly amazing with their energy and vision of what flowers are and can be, is really encouraging for our future.

There we two keynote speakers. This first guy I can’t remember but his message was like many I have heard before. Bad things happen to people and then they do something amazing as a result.

The second guy I do remember because I have known Barry Gotlieb for 40 years. Barry has always had a knack for seeing things fantastically and he has taken that energy to become an author and motivational speaker.

My main take away was to be yourself and think outside the box.

The SAF PAC party was very exciting. It was exciting because of the silly games they made attendees play. You need to just watch my video to see the outrageous behavior of our most respected members.

Kate Penn CEO of SAF always gives her state of the industry address. Let’s just say things look good and bad at the same time.

Charlie Hall from Texas A&M also gives his annual report at these events and Charlie had a hard time explaining some things. For example, according to data 2025 had the lowest recorded consumer confidence numbers ever. At the same time flowers had a significant increase in sales. But in general, his talk suggested good news and bad news as well.

The whole convention comes to a crescendo at the end when the awards dinner takes place. Everyone gets dressed up in their finest (including me) and gets to hear who will be honored.

Since I have attended so many SAF conventions I have a good sense about the energy, or lack of, at these awards dinners. Sometimes they are yawners, when staying aware is a challenge.

NOT THIS TIME!

Not sure if it was because I knew many of the recipients or maybe it was a full moon, but the energy was huge. It is a very good thing that we honor those who have done more than others.

After all the events and learning some chose to travel to Seville and Pierson Florida to visit Albin Hagstrom and Sons and Ferntrust. I was only able to get to Ferntrust but my timing was good so I got a hayride and lunch. Always interesting to see where products come from.

Finally, I will leave you with this very hotel-specific question. Why do people fart in elevators?

Ok, now click this button and watch all the pictures I captured plus my interview introducing the new lovely President of Asocolflores. Laura Valdivieso.