The floral industry came together once again for the 2022 Floriexpo convention in Miami Beach, FL, from June 7 to June 9. The expo opened on Wednesday, June 8 and proved to be a successful opportunity to meet key retail and wholesale buyers. “This was one of the most user-friendly shows in recent memory,” said Tatiana Perez, vice president of sales and marketing of Temkin. “Seeing the industry come together again was amazing.”

Nearly 300 retail buyers, grower-shippers, processors, business service providers and retailers gathered at the Hyatt Regency in Schaumburg, IL, June 9-10 for The Retail Conference, presented by the International Fresh Produce Association. After a day golf and a packed opening cocktail reception on Thursday, Friday morning saw Joe Watson of IFPA and Anne-Marie Roerink of 210 Analytics offer fresh perspectives on the biggest trends fueling produce sales today, including a look at the department’s performance during the first half of 2022.

Following the general session, smaller breakout

The floral industry gathered once again to kick off the 2022 Floriexpo convention and trade show in Miami Beach, FL. Day one began with educational sessions focused on topics as diverse as New Trends and Consumer Preferences in Houseplant Purchasing, Growing Profitability in Turbulent Times, and Marketing Tactics to Achieve Top Revenue, including panelist such as Mimi Pacheco of Crystal Americas and Corrine Heck of Details Flowers Software. After a day of intense learning, attendees unwound at the opening reception held at the Royal Palm South Beach.

PASADENA, CA — The Fresh Produce & Floral Council held an elegant 2022 Dinner Dance at the Speakeasy at the Langham, here, on Saturday, May 21. With over 230 members in attendance, the council celebrated the incoming and outgoing board of directors and the passing of the gavel from the 2021 Chair Sean McClure of Professional Produce to 2022 Chair Kori Martin of Oppy.

Part of the festivities included a raffle, with Eduardo Rubio of Smurfit nabbing the top prize of $20,000. Bill Coombs of DLJ won both $2,000 prizes, and Mike Nunez of Sonora Farms was the $1,000 prize winner. Door raffle prize

HILLSDALE, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Agriculture hosted the May 24 meeting of the Eastern Produce Council, here, at Demarest Farms, and as is in previous years, Jersey Fresh held a starring role. Each year, the NJDA uses the event to feature its popular Jersey Fresh marketing program, now in its 38th year, making it the oldest state-sponsored program of its kind.

In addition to crop updates, the winner of the ninth annual James & Theresa Nolan/Eastern Produce Council Scholarship was announced. The 2022 recipient of the $5,000 scholarship was Molly Bender, daughter of EPC member

After a full day of educational sessions attendees of BrandStorm 2022 unwound atop Bay City Brewing in downtown San Diego, CA. The reception was co-hosted by Ten Acre Marketing and Produce for Better Health.