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Upcoming Events
2025 MFA Retreat & Convention
Schedule (subject to change)
Friday, October 17th
- 11:00 am – MFA Board Members arrive at Fairmont
(Board meeting at 12:00 pm - 11:00 am–4:00 pm – Vendor arrival & setup
- 4:00–5:00 pm – Registration Table Open
- 6:00–7:00 pm – Conversation with:
- Tim Huckabee
- Jackie Lacey AIFD, CFD, AAF, PFCI
- 6:00–9:00 pm – Friday Night “Saloon” Kickoff
- Food & drinks included
- Mingle with vendors
Saturday, October 18th
- 7:30–8:30 am – Breakfast
- 8:00 am–5:00 pm – Registration Table Open
- 9:00 am–5:00 pm – Vendor Shops Open
- 9:00–10:00 am – MFA Design Contest
- 10:30–11:45 am – Hands-On Workshop with Jackie Lacey
- 12:00–12:45 pm – Lunch with Vendor
- 12:00–4:00 pm – Flowers to Wear (Sponsored by The Rose Solution and Ribbon on the Roll )
- Create a design with western flair!
- 1:00–2:20 pm – Round Table Educational Sessions
- Four 20-minute rotations
- Each table offers a unique mini-session on different topics
- 2:30–3:30 pm – Second Hands-On Workshop with Jackie Lacey AIFD, CFD, AAF, PFCI
- 3:40–5:00 pm – Floral Guru Session with Tim Huckabee
- 6:00–7:00 pm – Wild Wild West No-Host Cocktail & Mingle
- 7:15–8:30 pm – President’s Dinner
- Wheel of Fortune
- 50/50 Tickets
- Gift Giveaways & Bingo Extravaganza
Sunday, October 19th
- 7:30–8:45 am – Breakfast
- 8:00 am–3:30 pm – Registration Table Open
- 8:00 am–3:30 pm – Vendor Shops Open
- 8:00–9:00 am – MFA Annual Public Meeting & Announcements
- Open to all attendees
- 9:30–11:30 am – Design Show with Jackie Lacey AIFD, CFD, AAF, PFCI
- 11:45 am–12:45 pm – Lunch & Announcements by Incoming MFA President
- Design Contest Winners Announced
- 2026 Convention Announcement
- 1:00–2:30 pm – Design Show (continued) with Jackie Lacey
- 2:30–3:00 pm – Auction of Design Show Creations & 50/50 Winner Announced
- 3:00 pm – Convention Closes
Our Vendors- Click to View
2025 MFA Convention Speakers
Jackie Lacey, AAF, AIFD, CFD, PFCI
Jackie Lacey has over forty years of experience in the retail floral market and floral education field. His portfolio includes an extensive background in the retail floral market and wedding/event design experience. Jackie now utilizes his experience to provide education and instructional design programs, market showroom set up, private
Jackie Lacey has over forty years of experience in the retail floral market and floral education field. His portfolio includes an extensive background in the retail floral market and wedding/event design experience. Jackie now utilizes his experience to provide education and instructional design programs, market showroom set up, private retail consulting, product development as well as design and event planning. His most recent position as Director of Education and Industry Relations with Floriology, BloomNet and Napco, Senior Design Team Specialist and Senior Editor for Floriology Magazine have kept him on top of market trends, current design trends, industry education and retail marketing. Jackie utilizes his extensive video development, creation, capture, and editing as co-creator of one of the top floral education centers in the industry and is considered one of the top floral educators not only in the field but in the world. .
Jackie has won numerous awards in floral design competitions in multi-state, national and local floral associations. His work has been published in Floriology Magazine, SAF, “Flowers &”, “Modern Bride”, “Inside Weddings” and many others. National Television exposure includes designing and participation for WE TV programs “Platinum Weddings” and “I Do Over” as a Celebrations.Com Floral Expert. Previous work for celebrities such as Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep, Diane Lane, Cheryl Ladd, Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere, Matthew McConaughey and Leonardo DiCaprio have come easily through participation with floral design on several major motion pictures.
Continuing education through numerous stage presentations for multi–state Associations and national industry leaders such as SAF, AFE, Virgin Farms Direct, Smithers-Oasis, BloomNet, FTD, Fitz Design Team, Floral Strategies and John Henry Company allow Jackie to help the continued growth of the floral industry. Experience in floral design for the Tournament of Roses Parade floats, product development team for the largest Import/Export show in the world and set up and design for Gift Market showrooms only adds to the vast floral experience he can call on for every event. His expertise in floral evaluation and judging, see him requested as a fair and non-bias judge in numerous floral competitions.
He has served as a leader in many industry associations to include his current position as 2023-2025 Past President of FSFA International, AFE Trustee and board member. His previous positions include 2019-2021 AIFD National President, 2011-2022 AIFD National BOD, and he has served on numerous AIFD committees and previous member of the AIFD Southern Regional Board. Recipient of the 2023 FSFAI Humanitarian Award, 2021 FSFAI Lifetime Achievement Award, 2021 AIFD Special Award of Dedication, 2022 AIFD Special Award of Recognition, and 2022 GLFA National Service Award. Jackie’s extensive travels across the country, Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong, China, and Europe afford many opportunities for him to interact with designers of all levels and share this extensive background and experience to florists everywhere.
Tim Huckabee, The Profitable Florist
Tim Huckabee’s journey in the floral industry began in 1993 when he took a job at Surroundings Flowers in New York City. What started as just a job quickly became a passion, as he learned the ins and outs of running a successful flower shop. Seeing firsthand what worked—and what didn’t—he realized that sales and service skills were the m
Tim Huckabee’s journey in the floral industry began in 1993 when he took a job at Surroundings Flowers in New York City. What started as just a job quickly became a passion, as he learned the ins and outs of running a successful flower shop. Seeing firsthand what worked—and what didn’t—he realized that sales and service skills were the missing ingredients in most shops. Determined to change that, he took the best practices he had learned and developed a structured process to teach florists how to sell with confidence, maximize every sale, and provide top-tier customer service.
Since 1997, Tim has personally visited over 7,000 flower shops around the world, training teams in real-life selling techniques that drive results. He continues to teach and coach florists both on-site and through live webinars, helping them transform their businesses into highly profitable, customer-focused operations.
With The Profitable Florist, Tim has worked with shop owners and teams across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and North America, conducting hands-on training and coaching programs that empower staff to be more organized, confident, efficient, and professional.
Florists may also recognize Tim as the author of Flower Shop Sale or Fail, the must-read monthly column in SAF’s Floral Management magazine, where he breaks down real customer interactions and reveals how shops can dramatically improve their sales and service.
With a degree in Marketing from the University of Connecticut, decades of hands-on experience, and a passion for helping florists sell with confidence, Tim remains the industry’s go-to expert for turning everyday staff into high-performing sales professionals—and turning struggling shops into highly profitable businesses.
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