Hey guys, with the urban show drawing to a close, I thought it would be a good time to create a “flower show survival guide”! After many years of attending a whole range of flower shows around the world, I thought I might be well placed to give you a few tips based on things I’ve learnt over the years…
1. You will obviously be doing a lot of walking, so make sure you don’t buy new shoes the day before! If you must choose shoes for fashion over comfort, consider investing in some insoles!
2. Take a little bit of cash; you can never be sure if some of the vendors will only be taking cash, or in some instances the data coverage gets so busy that the card machine sometimes stop working.
3. Either wear layers, and then take a very small bag, like a bum bag. Or, take a good rucksack, where you can keep extra clothing, because it might suddenly become winter - you never know!
4. A bum bag is my preferred bag to be honest. In there, I will definitely have a pen, sunglasses, business cards, a temporary phone charger, and maybe some paracetamol!
5. Yes, definitely take some business cards, even if you’re mingling with “the public”, you still don’t know what opportunities there might be.
6. If you’re at a trade show, don’t always accept a cup of coffee, because by the end of the day you will have had 12, and that’s simply not healthy.
7. If you’re only at a flower show for a limited time, become the master of a “clipped conversation”. You need to know how to start a conversation, but also how to end it. If you want to keep moving and seeing more flowers, keep those conversations at one paragraph maximum.
8. Make a plan to walk every square inch of the flower show, even into the areas where you don’t think you will be interested. You never know what you will learn.
9. Always enter competitions where you have to scan a QR code or something, not many people can be bothered to do it, which means your chances are higher.
10. Buy plants, lots of them.
Brilliant tips
Brilliant tips there Michael. If I see you this year, you get one paragraph, just one! 🤣💝