[2nd March 2006]West Michigan Home and Garden show

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mlou

mlou

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will be there manning the PRF (PRofessional retail florist booth) Saturday afternnoon.

will report back on how it went. this if the first time it's being held in conjunction with the home and garden show.
 
Detroit-area florist wins Designer of Year crown

From http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-28/1141557474119930.xml&coll=6&thispage=1
Detroit-area florist wins Designer of Year crown
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Sunday, March 05, 2006

By Shandra Martinez

The Grand Rapids Press

HOLLAND -- Feeling creative?

Try making a prize-winning arrangement in 30 minutes out of curly willows, orange roses, two-tone tulips, Kangaroo Paws Tall Red, Bells of Ireland, red Gebera daisies, Spanish moss and a ball of yarn.

No problem for veteran florist Robbin Yelverton whose winning entry Saturday earned him the Michigan Floral Association's Designer of the Year.

Yelverton, co-owner of three Detroit-area flower shops, competed against four other semi-finalists in the design-off patterned after the popular Food Network show "Iron Chefs."

The five, who came from throughout the Midwest, scrambled to assemble arrangements in front of an audience at the West Michigan Home and Garden Show. The Michigan Floral Association's annual conference is sharing DeVos Place convention center for the first time with the annual home show. Both wrap up today.

Even before the judges arrived, the finalists were under heavy scrutiny -- half the audience included professional florists.

As she prepared to go on stage, Laura Parker seemed as cool and calm as, well, a fresh flower.

"We are used to working under pressure," said Parker, a florist from the Oakland County community of Holly. While at work, she said, she usually has to create a design in 15 minutes.

The other semi-finalists were Kim Wood of Indianapolis, Daniel M. Stober of Chicago and Grand Rapids resident Jennifer Lewitt who works at Honeystone Flowers at Knapp's Corner.

The five earned their spots in the final competition by winning the top scores in the conference's design competition that drew 40 entries. All are on display today.

In the showdown, each was given a bag with the same selection of flowers and materials to create an arrangement.

"I loved the colors. Orange is my favorite," said Yelverton, who has been a floral designer for 25 years.

Lewitt, a floral designer for 16 years, said she always likes to see what is in the bag.

"I look at the flowers and figure out what they want to be," she said.

She said she studied chemistry, physics and journalism in college before returning to floral design.

"I can't stay away from it," she said.

"This is an opportunity to show our stuff," master of ceremonies John Hosek told the competitors as they worked on their designs. "It's an art form."

Hosek, who held the title in the mid-'90s and teaches around the country, is chairman of this year's conference.

It turned out to be an unexpected sacrifice for Hosek, who owns a florist design business in East Lansing.

He had to take a sabbatical from the Academy Award design team, which creates the floral arrangements throughout the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles and along the famous red carpet.

The timing of the events conflicted after Hollywood's biggest awards show was shifted to tonight because of the Winter Olympics.
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Congratualations to Robbin and the other competitors. :bouquet2:

Great idea for MFA to have the competition be viewed by the general public. (This kind of design work is generally one of the best kept secrets in our biz. :( )

Hope someone posts some shots from MFA.
 
Mfa

I can't report on the whole show. P Allen Smith was standing room only.

But there seemed to be quite a few folks browsing the floral displays. the design kiosk for the general public to watch designers work, showing tricks of the trade, ways to use flowers in the home etc. It was nice seeing folks exposed to how much work it does take designing .....


The AIFD display was nice/interesting from the floral industry trade standpoint, BUT, for the average public - way too much artistry and not enough saleability or visual consumer use concepts. Heard a couple of folks saying ug.. and watched several look then cruise fast.

Since it was the home and garden show probably wasn't what most folks were looking for. Different strokes different folks.
 
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