The American Institute of Floral Designers National Symposium, under the banner “Journey,” will meet June 30-July 4 in Denver. This year is also the organization’s 50-year anniversary so a huge celebration is planned.

When the three-year old thoroughbred American Pharoah won the one hundred and forty-first running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, he received the time-honored, 122-inch long, 22-inch wide and nearly 40-pound Garland of Roses, created by floral designers known as the Rose Team at the Kroger Co. in Louisville, KY.

Friday, June 12

8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Tour of Montgomery Botanical Center

9 a.m.-5 p.m. FNGLA Registration Desk Open

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tour of Vizcaya Gardens

2 p.m.-4 p.m. FNGLA Board of Directors Meeting

As spring emerges, the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association begins preparations for Floriculture Field Days. While many breeders trial plants across the nation, FNGLA offers a unique two-day opportunity to see a cross-section of breeders’ latest releases and how they perform in three distinct central Florida landscape venues — Walt Disney World Horticulture, Harry P. Leu Gardens and the University of Florida’s Orange County Extension Service.

The Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Connection: Floral event is scheduled for July 9 in Miami. The schedule for the day is:

10 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Registration and Networking Reception

10:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Welcome and Introductions

10:45 a.m.–11:45 a.m. Meet the Millenials: Today’s Floral Trendsetters

11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m.  The “Next Big Thing:” Today’s Trends, Tomorrow’s       Game-Changers

12:45 p.m.–1:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30 p.m.–2 p.m. Retailer Roundtable: Sparking Conversations and Ideas

Millennials (the generation born between 1982 and 2002) represent 27 percent of the U.S. population and an estimated $1.3 trillion in annual spending. Elena Ozeritskaya, customer insight strategist and founder at Fresh Insight in the Netherlands, will share key lifestyle trends and interests that drive millennials’ fresh floral purchases at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Connection: Floral event on July 9 in Miami, according to a news release.