Cross Fertilization

Supplying the Troops

The participants were just as diligent in preparing one another, knowing that one bad stop could ruin the entire tour for a visitor. And since some of the wholesalers were more seasoned marketers with open house experience, they were able to lead by example. For example, Paul Ecke had hosted several PAC trials and was able to share some insight to the logistics of showing off. Scullin, "a marketing whiz" Kister says, prepared a detailed primer on the how-tos of making your open house unforgettable.

Kent prepared a "trucking solutions" sheet, a master list of commonly used shippers and consolidators with shipping details to help field questions from out-of-state attendees.

Each nursery received a large Plant Tour sign to post along the route and a list of pre-registrants, organized by business type and customer name, to facilitate follow-up.

And everyone swapped business cards, updated their Palm Pilots and shook some hands with new contacts. "We all work 80-hour weeks and we do not get out and mingle enough," says Pat Hammer, owner of Samia Rose Topiary in Encinitas, Calif. "It gives us much more strength and it gave us a chance to get to know each other."

The event also gave them more financial leverage. The total cost for marketing and preparation materials was $17,083, a price tag that no single nursery could afford. "The benefit of working together is great economies of scale," Sculin says. "We could do a nice color pamphlet, hold a very cool reception and talk to more people than we ever could have just ourselves."

Bill Kovach, owner of Specimen House, agrees. "The most intelligent marketing event of the tour was that it happened at all," he says. "We have exhibited at many trade shows around the country and had always wanted the customer to come and look at the facility and the total product – not what was just shown in a booth at a trade show."

It happened, Kister explains, because everyone involved contributed time, money and experience. "When you have killer people with killer resources, no one gets stuck doing all the work," says Kister. However, the group did hire an administrator to handle most travel arrangements, catering and other planning details.

- Floral Management, October 200

Amanda Temple is the managing editor of Floral Management. Email: atemple@safnow.org