The American Institute of Floral Designers will hold the Transition Transformation 2014 National Symposium at the downtown Hilton in Chicago July 3-7. Stage presentations by floral designers from around the world will be on the program, along with education sessions, workshops, a silent auction, a floral partners expo and book fair marketplace, student competitions and awards and induction ceremonies.

The months of April and May, with all of their holidays, are obvious to us as big floral months. However, don’t overlook the potential that June offers as a month with several occasions for selling flowers. The easiest way to capitalize on these opportunities in your store is by cross-merchandising with other departments.

The Society of American Florists will conduct a “retail growth solutions” mini-conference at the Hilton Rosemont in Chicago June 10-11. SAF believes it will be “36 hours that will change your life,” according to a news release. The two-day program will focus on increasing floral profits through pricing strategies, online branding, motivated employees and everyday designs.

VASIC is a newly invented, multi-purpose vase introduced by Wet Ahoy Industries in Burbank, CA, and it is currently available in four styles (daisy, heart, iris and lily) and seven colors (canary yellow, ruby red, tangerine orange, robin egg blue, hot pink, kelly green and white).

Wet Ahoy Industries believes that VASIC’s design, practicality, ease of use and durability will revolutionize the way flowers are presented.

Volunteers throughout the United States will place donated roses on the graves of the nation’s war dead for the fourth year in a row this Memorial Day, May 26, through the Memorial Day Flowers Program. The Wholesale Florist and Florist Supplier Association is one of the official sponsors of the program nationwide and also at Arlington National Cemetery where Boy Scouts will place roses on veterans’ headstones.

The 2014 International Flower Trade Exhibition is set for June 4-6 at the Oshwal Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, and its exhibit space sold out in March with over 165 exhibitors, a 25 percent increase over last year, making it the fastest growing floriculture trade fair in HPP Exhibition’s 30-year history.

The show brings together flower buyers, growers, breeders and suppliers from around the world. The total exhibition area is over 107,000 square feet and organizers are considering expanding the space to accommodate more companies.