2006 OFA Short Course Update
The OFA Short Course is over, and it is time to start planning for next year’s event but not without learning how successful this year’s eventwas. On top of the Short Course success, OFA has some exciting new about it’s Web site, new officers and how you can continue the experience.
Short Course Recap
On July 8-11, 2006, thousands of floriculture professionals traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for the annual OFA Short Course, sponsored by OFA an Association of Floriculture Professionals. Attendees conducted business on the trade show floor, learned new skills in a variety of seminars, networked with peers and got a worldwide perspective on what’s happening in the industry.
Attendees from across the United States and approximately 30 other countries visited 1,330+ booths during the 3-day trade show. More than 120 educational sessions were presented over four days.
Unique displays, new ideas, samples and demonstrations kept the trade show floor bustling with activity, and the educational program featured a variety of formats – seminars, hands-on workshops, tours and roundtable discussions – for all segments of the industry.
Garden center tour. The garden center sessions kicked off the weekend with a tour on Saturday, July 8. This year’s retail tour visited The Andersons, Whole Foods Market, Millcreek Gardens and A Proper Garden, all in the Columbus area. Each of the stops was a learning experience, with information on marketing strategies, merchandising ideas and new products.
Garden center sessions. Most of the Saturday garden center sessions focused on profitability from Steve Bailey from The Garden Center Group. Inventory control, margin management, contemporary merchandising strategies, attracting Gen X & Y customers, customer loyalty and understanding what drives customers to a garden center were some of the topics.
Retailer idea exchange. Sunday evening’s retailer idea exchange was a high-energy forum to discuss ideas to help retail stores grow, prosper and flourish. The room was filled with eager retailers looking for new and exciting ideas they could bring home and implement in their stores.
Management and marketing. Management and marketing sessions featured topics such as marketing your business in tough times, finding the right manager, face-to-face selling, disaster preparedness and profit enhancement. The Manager Idea Exchange provided the opportunity for managers at all levels to share their challenges and successes to help turbo charge their skills.
OFA.org Is Back!
A little more than one month after the www.ofa.org domain name was hijacked by a foreign entity, OFA announced that it got the Web site back! You can now get all the OFA and Short Course information you want at www.ofa.org. However, if you continue to visit www.ofanet.org, you will simply be redirected to www.ofa.org.
The OFA staff also has their original E-mail addresses back ([email protected], for example). E-mails sent to the ofanet.org accounts will be delivered to staff as well.
Watch for a future OFA Bulletin article about OFA’s experience and steps you should take to protect your company’s domain name.
OFA Announces New Officials
OFA announced at its July 8 annual business meeting during the OFA Short Course the re-election of its president and vice president, as well as the election of five and appointment of two members to the OFA board of directors.
Doug Cole of D.S. Cole Growers Inc., Loudon, N.H., was re-elected as president.
Bobby Barnitz of Bob’s Market & Greenhouses Inc., Mason, W.V., was re-elected as vice president.
The five directors elected to the Board are:
Lisa Graf of Graf Growers, Akron, Ohio, and Cathy Kowalczyk of Willoway Nurseries Inc, Avon, Ohio, were elected to the two Ohio Grower director positions.
Peter Konjoian of Konjoian’s Greenhouses, Andover, Mass., was elected to the Grower At-Large director position.
Beth Mills of Carlisle Flower Cart, Carlisle, Ohio, was elected to the Florist At-Large director position.
Kerstin Ouellet of Pen & Petal, Fallbrook, Calif., was elected to the Allied Trade director position.
Jim Broderick of Plantland Garden Centers, Columbus, Ohio, was re-appointed by the board of directors as OFA treasurer, and John R. Holmes, CAE, was re-appointed as the OFA Executive Director.
Final Thoughts
You can now purchase a special CD-ROM set that features most of the 2006 OFA Short Course sessions recorded live, plus accompanying PowerPoint slides and/or handouts. This year the CD-ROM package also contains a DVD of the OFA Awards and Opening Session. To place an order, visit www.netsymposium.com or call (800) 679-3646.
Don’t forget the 2007 OFA Short Course will be July 14-17 for educational seminars and July 15-17 for the all-industry trade show. It will again be at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio, and sponsored by OFA an Association of Floriculture Professionals.
For more information, contact OFA at [email protected] or (614) 487-1117.
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