Ontario Florists Conference 2004....

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Mikey the Flower Guy

It's a GREAT DAY to live, and love!
Nov 10, 2002
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Dundas, Ontario, Canada
www.hamiltonflorists.com
State / Prov
Ontario
information will be released soon, about the OFC 2004 , and though not finalized, there ARE some exciting new changes that INCLUDE ALL FLORISTS in CANADA and the US....your "affiliation" or "non-affiliation" with a wire service is exempt!!
It will NOT matter....ALL WILL BE WELCOME!!
As more information is solidified, it will be released for your consideration, and there will be some new surprises that will please almost everyone!!
Remember OFC is for EVERYONE in the florist business..NOT a select,or "striped" few....
Mike
 
Mike,

Any word on the sponsorship issues? Will we have another surprise like last year?

Ryan
 
That "sponsor" chose NOT to participate,

so, there IS NO ISSUE...we WILL DO THIS without them if necessary..HOWEVER, should "they" decide to participate, they WILL NO LONGER have any chance at a "prime" sponsorship, after letting florists and the organizing committee down last year. There WERE better ways to deal with things...we WON'T FORGET!
I CAN understand their concerns...the WAY they dealt with it, left many things unresolved, so, we'll just resolve without them should "they" chose this route!!
AGAIN....NO ONE is EXCLUDED!! hope that is simple enough!!
No florists, or organizations representing florists, or supplying them, are an "island"...we make this work together, or we have no future!!
Mike
 
Oh geez, now I'm going to sit here all night and try and remember who got their knickers in a twist last year.

Audra
 
It is really sad that for something as special as this Ontario conference that we ALL can't get along together. THe conference for me is not a place to Drink and dance, but to socialize with florists, learns new things, relax and have fun. It is sad that politics have to play again into a promising venue.
I am for one sick and tired of politics.
Luc
 
I'll be there ... I'm even trying to encourage people from out of province to "crash" the party because the info is so good.

<Edit insert>

I withdraw the above statement until I know the results of the sponsorship issues.
 
Doug,
It is a secret at the moment. Even the Ontario Conference committee doesnt know where....
Time is usually the tHird week in Sept.
I was thinking it should have came up north and I was willing to find a location to help out. But didnt happen.
So I am in the mist of organizing a show in Sudbury with the help of Shirley from Mann Florist October 25th with maybe a workshop Oct. 24 in the afternoon. More details to follow.
Last time, 2 years ago when I did a show in Sudbury we had 150 to 160 people for dinner and design show....
Luc
 
Luc.....IF you wanted a "NORTH" location...

you already KNEW how to go about it...don't "blame" the OFC organizing committee, and by the way, the info will be released soon about the location, and dates, and exciting changes!!
YOU are "proposing" a day long event for "northern" florists...we are talking about a continent wide event, open too ALL that represent this industry.
What "MAY" transpire, is co-country conferences...between friendly nations...with FLORISTS leading the charge!!
We don't intend to "allow" wire service "politics" to govern the OFC, and after last year, we have "proof" that we only need ONE major WS sponsor.....the rest are MORE than encouraged to contribute and offer their "services" to attendees.
EVERYONE is welcome.....EVERYONE (related to the florist biz)..
Mike
 
Mikey,
I don't blame the committee for not coming up north. I have suggested a few times to come north but the census is to stay toward to the south. And you are right, if I wanted it up north I could have have done it, but I wanted to full support of the other committe members.
Also the "Northern SHOW" is not and was not open to Just northern florist. Is is open to everyone in the Biz also and I had florist as far away as Quebec, Timmins, Sault Ste Marie and even Midland.
I am looking forward to hear of all the changes you are proposing for this special event.
I know that when I was talking to Sandie in Jan, nothing was planned for the Ontario Conference at that time.
You know me, I am not shy of lobying for the ontario conference and not shy of wetting my two feet if need be.
This sound to be a first for this area and I congratulate the committee on working so hard to acheive what they are doing.
Last year, the committee was governed by politics, by allowing the FTD logo on the Ontario Conference Welcome Sign. If that was not on there, maybe there would have been no politics.
Luc
 
Re: That "sponsor" chose NOT to participate,

Originally posted by Mikey the Flower Guy
so, there IS NO ISSUE...we WILL DO THIS without them if necessary..HOWEVER, should "they" decide to participate, they WILL NO LONGER have any chance at a "prime" sponsorship, after letting florists and the organizing committee down last year. There WERE better ways to deal with things...we WON'T FORGET!
I CAN understand their concerns...the WAY they dealt with it, left many things unresolved, so, we'll just resolve without them should "they" chose this route!!
AGAIN....NO ONE is EXCLUDED!! hope that is simple enough!!
No florists, or organizations representing florists, or supplying them, are an "island"...we make this work together, or we have no future!!
Mike

Mikey,

In re-reading this post, I think we were talking about opposite sponsors. The only people let down last year were the ones who thought we were coming to an open conference, not the:
FTD Ontario Florists Conference

When you say there is no chance at anyone having a "prime sponsorship" does that mean someone is already filling that roll?

I don't feel like walking into a weekend-long FTD commercial however thinly veiled it may be.

Fool me once ...
 
Peter,

That was because FTD bought the conference just weeks ahead. This time it sounds like they haven't gotten OUT of bed with the OFC committee since the last conference. Sponsorship is already a done deal, from the sound of Mikey's post.

Ryan
 
If it is, it is. In life I've always learned never to keep biding something up just to bid something up.

One point is many times BN doesn't get to even know about an event first handed, unless we read it elsewhere. (I'm not talking about OFC) It's like Flowers Canada events in Toronto, never hear about them till after the fact, and we're a **** member (at least right now) but I believe Canadian Florists need a more effective lobby group similar to SAF in the US.

That's why I believe CFA will be a more effective Canadian Association for Florists here in Canada. (Canadian Florists Association)
 
at least...

FTD and Flowers Canada paid their bills in full on the spot...the other "sponsor" remains unpaid...so be it.
The "prime" sponsorship goes to the best presentation bidder, that keeps their word...it's people like Ryan, that make this "political".
We want no part of leaning left, or right, or this is best, or that is best.....it's over!!
AGAIN....(how many times is it gonna take??)...this is for EVERYONE involved in the florist business, and whomever comes to the plate with the "prime" sponsorship, gets ALL the TOP billing!
From NOW ON....this is FOR THE FLORISTS, NOT the suppliers and service providers!!
We hope to make this EVERYONE'S worthwhile, so that NO ONE wants to miss this event...EVERYONE from FLORISTS to SUPPLIERS, to SERVICE PROVIDERS ******FOR FLORISTS******

Mike
 
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