🌸The Bloom Show Heads to Expo Flor 2024

We’re excited to announce that The Bloom Show will be heading to Expo Flor this year! We have some fantastic sponsors lined up, and we’ll be conducting 8-10 interviews with both new sponsors and long-time partners within our network. Stay tuned for an announcement about our sponsors soon!

You won’t want to miss these interviews—they’ll give you great insights into the latest innovations and trends in the floral industry.

Watch the upcoming Bloom Show episode on Expo Flor here! [Link]

🌸Bloom Show on Location at Deliflor’s Chrysanthemum Week

One of the highlights of the year so far has been the launch of  The Bloom Show on Location, which took place during Chrysanthemum Week at Deliflor. It was an unforgettable experience! I had the privilege of spending two days with the Deliflor team, getting an up-close look at some incredible chrysanthemum varieties, meeting amazing industry contacts, and soaking in the rich Colombian culture.

We’ve created a special Bloom Show episode to showcase this experience, and I can’t wait to share it with you! The episode will be out next week, and trust me, you won’t want to miss it—it’s packed with stunning visuals and inspiring stories.

Check out the Deliflor episode here![Link]

🌸Celebrating the 5th Anniversary of the Bloom Together Event

Another milestone we’re proud to announce is the 5th anniversary of the Bloom Together Event! This event was originally created to reconnect the floral community during the challenges of COVID, and it has since blossomed into one of the industry’s premier networking events.

With over 60 companies collaborating and more than 400 attendees expected, it’s the perfect place to meet industry peers, connect with the floral community, and experience an evening of fun, live music, great drinks, and meaningful conversations. The event’s main purpose is to highlight the power of collaboration, networking, and community building within the floral industry.

Interested in attending or collaborating? Learn more about the Bloom Together Event here![Link]

🌸The Launch of Our 3rd Annual Floral Industry Conventions and Events Calendar

We are excited to announce that our 3rd Annual Floral Industry Conventions and Events Calendar will be launching in mid-November! This calendar will feature all the key floral industry events and conventions worldwide, making it a must-have for industry professionals.

We are currently accepting sponsorships for this calendar. If you would like more information on how to be featured, please email us at connect@newbloomsolutions.com

For those interested in reserving a digital copy, feel free to reach out—we’d be happy to save one for you!

🌸Upcoming Interviews on The Bloom Show

We’re looking forward to our upcoming Bloom Show interview with Carlos Oramas of Gem Group—a leader I truly admire. His company, the Gem Group, has an incredible culture that is both dynamic and inspiring. I’m eager to dive into their story and share insights on what makes them stand out.

Stay tuned for the Carlos Oramas interview!

And let’s not forget our end-of-year interview featuring Charlie Hall and Melinda Knuth! This interview has become a tradition, providing an in-depth look at the current state of the industry and what to expect in 2025. It’s always a fantastic discussion, packed with valuable insights and trends to watch for the upcoming year.

Do stay tuned for the year-end industry report.

🌸Looking Ahead: IFPA & Fun ‘N Sun I’ll also be attending the IFPA conference, and I’m looking forward to seeing many familiar faces there. I will be writing a blog based on my interview of vendors and hopefully some buyers – where I will be asking about trends, market conditions and more. Subscribe here

I hope to see you there and catch up. If you are interested in connecting please send me an email directing at Sahid@newbloomsolutions.com 

🌸Speaking of events, Fun ‘N Sun was absolutely incredible this year! It’s always one of my favorite floral gatherings, and this year was no exception. I had the pleasure of hosting the That Flower Feeling panel alongside Vanessa Leite, where we interviewed key board members and gained valuable insights into the campaign’s success.

Catch the full That Flower Feeling panel episode here![Link]

In addition, Williee Armellini and I teamed up for some exciting interviews, including sessions with the wholesale and florist group and my personal favorite, the Madame Presidents group. Both interviews provided some incredible takeaways for the floral industry, so be sure to check them out. [Link]

Lastly, we introduced a new segment, the Bloom Show Road Show, to my knowledge the first virtual live show from a floral exhibition ever- where we gave you a behind-the-scenes look at the exhibitors and the standout products they were showcasing. This new take on the show was a huge hit, and we’re looking forward to expanding it further. I hope others use the idea in their conventions or I am always open to collaborate-so feel free to reach out if you would like your next convention or flower show to be broadcasted live on The Bloom Show.

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Don’t miss out on any of our upcoming content! Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can stay up-to-date on new episodes, events, and exclusive interviews.

Thank you so much for tuning in and supporting The Bloom Show and our efforts to connect, innovate, and grow the floral industry. Stay tuned for more exciting updates, and don’t forget to check out the episodes and links mentioned above for all the latest content!

Want to stay in the loop? Subscribe to our newsletter here! [Link]

Thoughts from the Wizard

And now for some thoughts from the Wizard on some of the current economic, logistic problems, and global issues that may impact you and your Floral business.

Positives

Consumers and Distribution

US retail sales posted a small gain in August of 2024. Online sales were strong and helped offset lagging car sales. The US consumer confidence dropped the most in over three years this September. The decline was driven by widespread and growing concerns about jobs and business conditions. Inflation concerns remain while Americans continue to spend! The Supply Chain expects a strong boost in customer demand and economic growth for this year’s holiday season.(could exceed a growth rate over 8% over last year’s numbers) E-commerce growth is faster than most other sectors especially with the grocery category.

Jobs and Wages

The US jobs report for August revealed a lower-than-expected gain in non-farm payrolls. The unemployment rate came down to 4.2%, and average hourly earnings rose by 0.4% month over month

Wage growth is ahead of price growth for the last 18 months.

US job openings dropped to 7.67 million in July, the lowest since early 2021, as layoffs increased, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.

Higher productivity levels have helped reduce labor cost pressures.

The Fed

This month the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 0.50% to a range of 4.75 – 5.00% due to decelerating inflation and slightly softer labor market data. The Fed expects faster rate cutting coming soon as inflation drops and to avoid weakening employment levels. This was their first rate cut since 2020. The slowing labor market had a lot to do with it.

The Fed’s statement noted, “The risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance.”

At Jackson Hole  Powell said,  “time has come’ to soon begin reducing interest rates” and his prophecy was lived up to.

Stock Market

We have experienced a good September even though it is usually a poor month for the Stock market. Record high closes have been recorded on the Dow and S&P during this month. Even China’s market is getting propped up( sorry I mean getting stronger)

Logistics and Strike Threats

The 10 largest container ports in the nation have seen inbound cargo volumes making a 20% plus year-over-year jump in July.

US importers are moving shipments earlier to mitigate potential disruptions at key ports from Maine to Texas as the International Longshoremen’s Association and its 45,000 dockworkers prepare to strike. This is helping to avoid supply chain problems.

Alaska Airlines merged with Hawaiian Airlines. Amazon cargo business for air transport is coming under Alaska airlines management. Acquiring Hawaiian gave Alaska airlines some wide body aircraft needed for Amazon’s flying service.

Air Canada avoided a strike with a new contract with pilots and ensured no interruption in their service.

• Hurricanes—We have not had as many as predicted but are still facing some strong ones. (As I write this we do not now the outcome of the most current Hurricane Helene)
• Typhoons in Asia are hurting agricultural yields as well as disrupting the global supply chain and ports around the world
• The US economy could lose almost $4 billion each day dockworkers are on strike in the East and Gulf Coast ports
• Biden is being urged to intervene in this potential port strike (hopefully it is avoided) this could be a major supply chain distribution (although the amount of forward stocking by retailers may make the strike less of a hindrance to the supply chain)
• The US trade deficit grew in July, Exports remained about flat
• Canada and the US both imposed more duties on some imported items  (one of these is a 100%duty on Chinese-made electric cars
• Tariffs are also targeting Chinese e -commerce (this could hurt the consumer and businesses in the US rather than Temu and Shein)
• Fed Ex stock to a major hit this month to weak demand, more e-commerce competition, and the loss of some premium customers
•  The major parcel carriers including USPS reinstated their peak season rate increases for 2024

Conclusion

It seems that the Flower Industry had a better-than-expected August and September. I think most of this was supply related due to some of the weather issues in producing areas. Prices were strong and product was not as abundant as in past months. Even a distressed European and Russian market picked up in September.

Recently, rose production around the equator has been relatively low. This was the case for both East African and Latin-American rose producers. For various reasons, available volumes were limited everywhere.

Here are two articles from Floral Daily reflecting on September,

Royal FloraHolland CEO gives September update [Link]

In Russia, flower prices have surged dramatically ahead of September 1st, when students traditionally give bouquets to their teachers. [Link]

Some important points to relate to for your business:

• As the Fed reduces interest rates borrowing costs will reduce hopefully helping the Floral industry grow
• The labor market is still expanding even though pace of hiring has slowed we are getting back to more normal and manageable cycle(making it easier to do business and hopefully make more money)
• With inflation dropping pricing is not as ugly on some items you may need including technology items
• Gas and Diesel are down
• Even Jewelry prices are dropping helping to increase sales especially by younger age groups
• Notice I stayed away from politics
• American’s work to spend
• No Government shut down expected before the election and hopefully not after the election
• Keep Calm

Last month we spoke about the quagmire of the restaurant business and what to avoid. This month with 2025 models of cars and truck coming to dealerships it looks like the quagmire has moved to the Auto industry. Many models  have an over 400+day supply. Prices, discounts, and incentives have come back in a big way. Advertising on TV is back. Seems like every other commercial is for cars. Maybe when dealers were asking for way over sticker they got too greedy. Now the shoe may be on the buyer’s foot. In all types of businesses it needs to be a win/win for both sides.

This holds true for the flower business in a big way as well. Until next time!!!!

Warm regards and thanks for reading my rants and tidbits that may or may not mean anything to you, Let the Wizard know if you have any comments!

The Flower Wizard- David Kaplan

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