Red Kennicott attended the Seeley Conference the last week in June.  Here is his comments and thoughts on the conference....

The Seeley Conference is a “think tank” for the flower industry which is held annually at

Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.

 

This year’s conference was held last week and the theme was:

 

Chaos...Are YOU realizing the opportunity?

 

The economic recession is impacting the discretionary spending of our core consumer, the Boomer.  The younger generations…X’ers, Y’ers, and the Millenniums...our future consumers, don’t relate to our products the same way as the Boomers do.  Many say that our products aren’t relevant to the younger generations’ lives and lifestyles.  And then there’s our challenge of communicating to our customers; Boomers read the newspapers and watch TV, but the younger generations communicate, get their information, and make their buying decisions based on the internet and social media and networking.

 

The speakers and discussion groups at the conference, explored:

 

·Chaos, or market disruption, creates new opportunities to reposition and differentiate.  Are YOU ready?

·Consumer mind sets and purchase behaviors have changed dramatically. 
Are these changes permanent?

·Business Darwinism…survival goes not to the strongest, but to those who are the quickest to adapt to change.  Where do you stand?

·We’ve become comfortable with evolutionary change.  Chaos calls for revolutionary change?  Can you cope?

·What’s your company’s value message?  Is the message relevant to today’s customers and how do you communicate your message to them?

·Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Blogs, Podcasts…new tools to reach tomorrow’s consumers.  Are you ready for 21^st century marketing?

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE FOR KENNICOTT BROTHERS IN ALL OF THIS?

 

The flower industry is vastly different today from what it was just a year ago, and it will become even more different in the future year. We must change to adapt to the new business environment.  We must learn to listen to our younger customers and to communicate with them in the way to which they are accustomed. Most importantly, we must do whatever it takes to remain a strong company and to take advantage of opportunities that will arrive in the chaos which results as the flower industry changes.

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