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| Some useful thoughts from the annual Seeley Conference | |
| This annual conference unites leaders in the floricultural industry to provoke thought and future predictions in a wide range of subjects from production to marketing. The 2004 conference highlighted marketing aspects including: Once the ‘baby boom’ is over the following generation will not be able to take up the vaccum in consumption. This means that growers need to capitalize as much as possible in the next few years after which time consumption is likely to fall very considerably because the consumers who are today in their 20’s and early 30’s (and those that follow) have little interest in floricultural products. Faced with too many choices, people get bored. Is it necessary to have so many different pot sizes and so many differed varieties of red Pelargonium and Impatiens etc? Growers and consumers alike look increasingly for more recognizable differences and improvements in plant varieties. Modern techniques of communication have greatly improved the flow of information but reduce moments of real contact in visits and meetings. This provides an increased need for that ‘human touch’ in all aspects of marketing and sales. Anything that makes the act of purchasing a product or service a pleasent experience will be rewarded. Businesses that are desire-driven rather than need-driven will gain. Desire-driven products enhance life, make the consumer feel or look better or make his home look better. Finally the value of floriculture products to society is still not adequately promoted. Debbie Hamrick “GrowerTalks” Fax 001 6302089350 www.growertalks.com Next edition of the Seeley Conference will be held 25-28 June 2005 E-mail: wbm8@cornell.edu |
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