Hello, my name is Pavel, I am the head florist of Lacy Bird. My colleague Oksana and I were invited to speak at the largest floristry forum in Siberia — Kuzbass Flower Forum.

Our company goal is to help raise the overall level of floristry in Russia. Professional forums like "Kuzbass Flower Forum" are the perfect place for inspiration. How can one day bring the floristry of the whole region to a new level? Let me tell you now.

Presentation of business tools

Kuzbass businessmen saw how their floral companies could grow if they applied modern business tools and effective promotion strategies.

Dmitry Turkan, world-class florist
"I am grateful for the hope the forum organizers gave us that the floristry in Russia can be a serious and prestigious industry."

"Listva" flower shop chain showcased a completely transparent business presentation, and "Posiflora" spoke on ways to automate accounting and control in the flower business.

Oksana and I showed a commercially successful composition, and Elena Cherebaeva spoke on current marketing trends.

Andrey Filonenko, famous floral designer, botanist
"The forum was a great opportunity to research trends that are behind a beautiful bouquet picture: organization of work processes, ordering flowers and logistics, subtleties of promotion."

Shining a spotlight on the floral business.

The organizers gathered florists from all over Siberia to present a new wholesale flower base. In addition to increasing awareness, the organizers pursued another higher goal:

"We wanted to demonstrate that the flower business has reached a new level, has become more modern and open, and that we are no longer in the shadows. We started, of course, with ourselves - we openly showed the figures of our company: income, taxes, salaries of employees.
Another goal was professional networking between flower companies in the region. In Russia, networking between florists is poorly developed. The Flower Retail Association was established only a year ago."

Dmitry Bizyukov, organizer of Kuzbass Flower Forum

"At such events you get to meet with owners like yourself, to discuss mutual problems your businesses face. You can even solve an issue you might have by discussing it with colleagues from the region."

Dmitry Turkan, world-class florist

"Such events bring together the players of the floristic business.This is particularly important for small towns where competition is high.
Together business owners can reach the town administration and legal authorities, represent the industry, discuss tax incentives and interact with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Together, it is easier to enlist the support of the municipality and hold events."

Andrey Filonenko, famous floral designer, botanist

Live chat with floral industry experts

Oksana and I were the first to perform - an exciting moment. But it was so nice when the attendees started asking questions not only about the composition we presented, but also about Lacy Bird as a brand. We answered a variety of questions: about creativity, the process of creating content, competition.

"When it all started, people gathered, I was also among them. I noticed that the attendees were in a kind of disbelief when they saw us. It was interesting talking with people who only know me from online.

Dmitry Turkan, world-class florist

"People are hungry for offline events after long covid lockdowns. The audience was very inspired, interested in flowers and in communicating with the masters."

Andrey Filonenko, famous floral designer, botanist

"The speakers were happy to see a hall full of people who find them inspiring. It was great to get a boost of energy from watching heated discussions and interaction. "

Dmitry Bizyukov, organizer of the Kuzbass Flower Forum and founder of "Listva" flower shop chain

Why did it work

"We have accomplished what we set out to do. We have received a record number of bulk orders. We have increased our brand awareness - now all florist shops in the region know that you can always order the best flowers from us. Most importantly the participants realized that it is okay to be open, to share. I think we changed some minds today.

Dmitry Bizyukov, organizer of Kuzbass Flower Forum

We discovered a magical combination:

— we offered a cool and high-quality product – we bring unique flowers at a unique price;

— we invited top specialists and offered new knowledge to people for free;

— we openly shared the company's financial data, which is new to the floral industry in Russia- it was quite a shock."

"I liked that it was a small-scaled event - no huge crowds. The attention gets scattered at large forums, guests just wander around from one place to another. It was easy to focus on the stage and, at the same time, there was space and time for networking."

Oksana, creative florist Lacy Bird

Advice for the organizers

"Dmitry and the entire team should be a role model to all members of the industry. The level of responsibility and consciousness they apply to their company coincided in the organization of the event."

Dmitry Turkan, world-class florist

"You need to clearly understand what goal you are pursuing: is it to increase your sales or customer loyalty? Or do you want to make a contribution to the industry itself?

In my opinion, such events should have free entry. The mood of the guests drastically changes when you take money. We consider the forum as an investment in brand advertising, in the promotion of the flower base.

If you want to organize such an event for florists in your region you have to be financially prepared."

Dmitry Bizyukov, organizer of Kuzbass Flower Forum

What's next?

As a result we got a cool story. We learned a lot from our colleagues and we hope it is mutual. We feel recharged from the energy of the attendees. Lacy Bird team is open and ready to participate in such forums more often - Kazan is the one we plan on joining next.

We are as inspired as possible and we are ready to improve our program. We are here for cooperation, for growth, for the rise of floristry!

We are grateful to Dmitry for the invitation, and to fellow speakers for additional inspiration and genuine passion for the work they do!