"With Mayor Bloomberg honored for his trendsetting efforts in making New York City the future 'wedding capital of the world', weddings will of course remain an important part of my business. But whether I'm designing for weddings or corporate events, my approach is the same: I love the challenge of delivering beauty and value to my clients, and as such, Dutch flowers play an important part in this."
"Quality speaks for itself. If you cut corners, people will notice. Of course you have to spend for quality, but this pays off in the long run. It doesn't matter if you're working in New York City or Kansas City, for a princess or a pauper, we event designers are always striving to create that 'breathless moment', that perfect occasion when the beauty and wonder of our designs takes a client's breath away. If the quality isn't there, the flowers will let you know, always."
Innovative
"Given the current US economic situation, and other issues like corporations' 'need to go green', these are particularly challenging times for event planners and designers. People and companies are more aware of what their perception of spending is. On the corporate side, the money is still there, but budgets are tighter. Consequently, less is increasingly seen as more, which impels designers to work differently, to be more creative, innovative and resourceful in meeting the clients' needs."
Quality
"I love the Dutch aesthetic, the finer sensibility in which quality comes to the fore. Of course in the event business in the US, clients still want bang for their buck, visual value and volume, with the predominate thought being bigger is better. And then it's often also simply a question of scale: it takes a whole lot of product to fill the Plaza Ballroom with flowers! But generally, there's more of a balancing act between quality and quantity today. It's not as easy as just saying this needs more flowers, and then throwing more flowers at it."
Added-value
"When quality really matters, so too do all the added-value extras, like stems. The long stems of Dutch flowers are truly superior; they're so beautiful and well grown that the stems can even be the focal points of an arrangement. For Dutch flowers, we either deal directly with our wholesaler in Holland or buy from the NYC flower market. When we're at the market and need some exceptionally beautiful flowers, nine times out of ten the wholesaler will pick up the phone and call Holland."
Pride
"Being part of the 'Holland Trip' last year was a wonderful experience. Each time I visit Holland my appreciation for the Dutch horticulture industry grows. The impressive quality and professionalism on display just makes you want to give these people your business! Such trips have an important humanizing effect as well, reminding you that - despite the industry's great global scale - your Dutch partners are often just small businessmen like yourself. This is important for building trust and confidence. Whether it's growing, selling or transporting flowers, you see that the Dutch take great pride in their work, just as I do in mine, and from this comes our shared success."
