DC meeting hosted by the Swiss Florist Association
It was obviously due to the good contacts of FLORINT president Robert Steinmann, coming from Winterthur and being a former board member of the Swiss Florist Association, that the board of FLORINT was invited to have its first meeting in 2010 in the office of the Swiss association in Zürich. This invitation was accepted with great pleasure, as it was not only a good occasion to meet with representatives of the Swiss member of FLORINT and see their offices, but also to visit the new flower wholesale market in Zürich, where the SFV-office is located. Mr. Beat Thomann, manager of the Züricher Bluemenbörse, showed off the new and well-equipped building to the board members, who were impressed by the many facilities of the flower market. After this tour they were received by Mr. Urs Brunner, manager of the Swiss Florist Association, who showed them around the office while explaining the work and activities of the SFV. All in all, a very enlightening extra dimension to the meeting as such.
As usual, there was quite a lot to discuss during the DC-meeting. This short report gives a few highlights. Considering the fact that two youth competitions will take place this year, plus next year the Europa Cup, the issue of competitions obviously took quite some time to discuss. For Eurofleurs the regulations with the tasks have been distributed recently, which is an important step. Enrollment as well as further preparations are going well, so far. For EuroSkills the postponement till December might cause problems, in light of the fact that people can barely be absent from the shops during that busy month. Preparations for the Europa Cup have never been this advanced at such an early stage already. The promotion has also been taken up with much ambition, with a press conference at the Czech Parliament, where the logo was presented to the president of the Parliament, but also a big billboard alongside the highway near Havirov and a bus completely painted with the Europa Cup logo and announcement.
A lot of time was reserved for the issue of membership. Not only does the DC want to tune in to the needs and whishes of the members more, but solutions must also be found regarding the design of a novel contribution system; one that is more responsive to the added value received by members versus their financial strength, which varies a lot. A contribution system that should also include possibilities for countries still lacking a florist association, that conform to the criteria set by FLORINT, to connect and link to the international florist organization. Europe is quite a lot bigger than the actual 20 member countries, and countries in the surrounding areas, like Armenia and Israel, have also showed interest. A challenge that surely needs to be coped with.
To support the members in their work, by stimulating the exchange of knowledge and experiences for one, is an important aim for FLORINT. The DC gave the final green light, recognizing the fact that the Dutch Product Board offered some financial support as well, to the planning and organization of a two-day conference for the member associations, dedicated to organizational development, member recruitment and –retention. This conference is expected to take place in the second half of May. Further details will be sent and published as soon as possible.
(Accompanying picture; from left to right: new board members Marios Vallianos (GR) and Mark Ward (UK), general secretary Toine Zwitserlood, president Robert Steinmann (CH), vice-president Helmut Prinz (DE) and his wife Gerda.)
