Texas State Florist Association (July 24-26, Dallas, TX) –Rio Roses made an appearance at the Texas State Florists’ Associations’ 96th Annual Convention. Dan Long of AIFD used Rio Roses in his hands-on design workshop “Expressing Emotion in the Floral Sympathy Market” courtesy of DWF Dallas. TSFA is made up of retailers, wholesalers, growers, manufacturers of floral products and supplies, brokers, shippers, importers and others who service the floral industry. Click here to visit the TSFA website.

RIO GRANDE to sponsor SAF's 42nd Annual Sylvia Cup Design Competition! - RIO GRANDE, our latest product based on our new grading standard, is the official sponsor of this year's Sylvia Cup Design competition.The Sylvia Cup is the floral industry's longest running, live, national annual floral design competition. Contestants receive the same product assortment and a surprise task. The competition attracts some of the best designers in the business and all the designs in this year's competition will feature RIO GRANDE. A panel of distinguished designers judge the competition. Click here to learn more about the Sylvia Cup.

Fall Program is Here! - It's time to start thinking about Fall. Get a jump start on Fall buying now and take advantage of our seasonal specials. Ask your Account Executive about our Fall Program for special pre-book prices on all Fall flowers.

A NEW GRADING STANDARD FOR BIGGER, BETTER PERFORMING ROSES:

Extra Large, Open-Cut Blooms

• Minimum bloom height for every rose is 2.4 inches.
• Average bloom height of all RIO GRANDE varieties is over 2.6 inches.
• Bud is cut at stage 3, known as "Russian Cut" to ensure MAXIMUM bloom size and development.

'Designer Cut' Stems

• In each 25 stem bunch, the stems are pre-cut in three tiers.
• In a Select grade bunch, the stems are 65cm from top to bottom.
• In a Super Select grade bunch, the stems are 75cm from top to bottom.
• All RIO GRANDE boxes are packed 150 stems.

Seasonal Assortments

• The assortment of colors in a RIO GRANDE box changes with the season, so you get popular colors when you need them most.

How do retail florists make the most of their good neighbor EVENT? The most important step in making this promotion a total success is to collect information from each consumer who receives free Rio Roses®. The florist can use this information to send these prospective new customers promotions, reminders on special holidays and other information about their store. Have consumers fill out a Reminder Card!

Get neighbors to lend a helping hand! Florists can enlist co-sponsors to work with them. Enlist commercial accounts and other businesses like their bank, insurance broker, attorney, hair dresser, favorite restaurants, etc.

Tell the neighbors! Florists should pursue publicity opportunities. Send press releases to local newspapers and radio stations, or ask the mayor to make it an official holiday.

Organize the activities! Florists need to develop a plan and budget to stay on track. For the budget, itemize all expenses including advertising and cost of product. Have a plan for people to register before they receive their flowers, invite co-sponsors to help distribute flowers during the event.

Create loyal customers! Beyond creating awareness for neighborliness and a sense of community, florists should create ways to encourage those who registered to become regular everyday customers for their shop. Send each participant a thank you note and a coupon offering a 20% discount on their next in-shop purchase.