Message from WF&FSA's President - What’s Ahead in 2024?

Hello fellow WF&FSA members,

I appreciate the opportunity to provide this blog to you as WF&FSA’s current president. This has been a great experience, because I get the chance to surround myself with some exceptional industry colleagues who help make this organization, and this business, so great. Recently, your WF&FSA board and committee member volunteers got together and completed our mid-year planning meetings.  It was a very exciting and invigorating few days together. I must say the infectious attitudes and outlook of your volunteers for 2024 continue to grow.

What’s Ahead for WF&FSA in 2024 – Investing in our Members

WFFSA is in a strong position to invest back into the membership. Here are some of the ways WF&FSA will be doing that for each of you.

FDC – The premier wholesale floral event in the industry will have improvements to make it this event an even more rewarding experience for the attendees. 

• More networking opportunities, including bringing back the golf tournament to kick off the event on Sunday, March 3, 2024
• Expanded Table Top floor space, so everything can happen inside the exhibit area
• The return of WFFSA’s themed party – I’m not going to give it away, but Don Johnson would be proud
• And continuing the successful wholesaler networking roundtables, with enhancements planned for 2024

We will also build on the other successful elements of FDC that you already know. The WF&FSA website will have the registration information soon. Be on the lookout for the emails. We look forward to seeing you at the Doral March 3-6!

DevX – California here we come! We will be headed to a new location that many of our members have not experienced before. There will be a road trip in the Bay area to see wholesalers and retailers and learn what sets them apart in their market. DevX also offers networking and education opportunities for all members, new or experienced. Attendees will collect valuable information they can bring back to their businesses for their own future improvement. This is a great opportunity for you and your team to network and learn together. We will have more information about this event coming soon to the WF&FSA website.

Building the future of WF&FSA to make it more user friendly for our members

• Updating the WF&FSA brand, logo, and messaging
• Creating a new website to make it easier for our members to gain access to the features and benefits of WF&FSA
• Continuing to offer education opportunities through LearnX
• Continuing to build community awareness through the Flower Movement
• Technology enhancements will be a primary focus for many of our members as we move into the new year. WF&FSA will be bringing more information and opportunities to assist our members with their own business technology needs.

It has been a pleasure to lead an organization so aligned to the needs of its members and to see such outstanding participation of the wholesale floral community in WF&FSA. Thank you again for your participation!

Sincerely,

Darin Dewberry
Pete Garcia Company / Garcia Group
2023-2024 WF&FSA President