Cross Fertilization continued...

Glitch-free … Almost

While a lot of work went into pre-tour coordinating and cleaning up, visitors, judging from the post-tour survey, were impressed with the seamless, glitch-free event. From the beginning, organizers were intent on making it easy for visitors to see what they want and buy what they want.

But the tour was as much about camaraderie and comfort as it was about commerce. Praise for the simple comforts like snacks and brochures, dominated the survey.

"We felt it was important to have good ‘creature comforts’ available, like good food and a place to sit down," Scullin explains. Finger sandwiches weren’t the only popular offering. Paul Ecke staff also prepared a information package with catalogs and price information and gave tours to those who wanted to see the whole ranch. "But mostly, we listened."

At Samia Rose Topiary, the entire staff was available during tour time so customers could "learn first-hand that we really know our stuff," says Hammer, who also set up a photo story board with lots of helpful information about available plants.

With 22 growers to see, many of the attendees didn’t have time to take a full-scale tour. That’s why several greenhouses created "mini-trade show booths." For example, instead of taking someone to the back-40, Kister says she was able to give them a quick run-down of the products available, supply them with company literature and display examples of each type of crop.

There was one hiccup in terms of scheduling. Kent’s Bromeliad held a special event during the tour, attracting several visitors to hear a speaker. Unfortunately this created a traffic jam, leaving other growers wondering where everyone went. Next year, participants will schedule any add-on attractions after plant tour hours.

- Floral Management, October 200

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