The Association of Cut Flower Growers will host two meetings in two different parts of the country in March, according to a news release.

The first will be held at the Georgia Center in Athens, GA, March 2-3 and speaker sessions include using woody ornamentals as cut flowers, postharvest handling techniques, healthy soils, optimizing productivity with planting, zinnia secrets and a wreath-making demonstration. Tours of local flower farms Woodland Gardens, 3 Porch Farm and Davis Floral will take place on March 3.

HPP Exhibitions, the Netherlands-based organizers of World Floral Expo 2015, are anticipating many more buyers, including bigger mass-market buyers, to attend the international flower trade show slated for March 11-13 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, compared to last year’s successful fair in Chicago. All segments of the buyers’ chain, from importers to retail florists, are expected to attend and the number of pre-registered buyers is higher than ever, while traditionally most registrations take place after Valentine’s Day, according to a news release.

The Society of American Florists’ Congressional Action Days, the industry’s annual grassroots campaign in Washington, DC, takes place March 9-10.

“I have attended for many years now, and I have seen positive results that not only affect my business but have affected myself and my family, too,” Dave Self, owner at Wyld West Annuals in Loxahatchee, FL, and chair of the SAF Government Joint Council, said in a press release.

It’s been over 40 years since our country has seen a significant generational shift in consumer wants and trends; we are talking about the 1970s here. I’m confident that many of our current floral industry leaders were worried about buying their first car or finding a date to the prom, and not about the seismic shift in trends caused by the buying habits of baby boomers.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Fort Lauderdale is known as “the Venice of America” due to its more than 300 miles of navigable inland waterways and it’s also one of the world’s largest cruise ship ports with 3.6 million people cruising out of Port Everglades each year. But for a few days in January the city is abuzz for another reason, as over 6,000 people flock to the Broward County Convention Center, here, to celebrate the tropical plant industry. For anyone who grows, buys, or sells plants, or supports the people who do, the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition is the place to be.

Women’s Day is March 8 and is fast approaching. What is your organization doing to benefit from this groundswell movement? Momentum has been building for the last several years and now the holiday is hitting its stride. Here are two themes on which to focus your marketing efforts.