How to run a flower crown workshop – the easy way

Workshops in all forms are becoming more and more popular, and for florists they’re a way to target a new customer base and really engage with them to create long-lasting customer relationships. Thanks to Pinterest and fairy tale wedding shoots, flower crowns are a number one choice. Here’s how to do it like a pro, and with a handy shortcut so it runs without a hitch.

Planning

• Think about your target market and timings. If you’re targeting professionals who work 9 to 5 then you’ll need to run your workshop during evenings or weekends, but if you have a lot of customers who are retired or stay-at-home mums and dads then a weekday would be a better choice.

• Decorate the room with flowers and lay out all tools and extras needed before guests arrive. A beautifully full flower stand is always a bonus and don’t forget a mirror, so that they can check themselves out in their crowns. • Choose whether to run a free-flow session where guests can select their flowers from the stand, or plan a set flower recipe beforehand - this can often be easier from a costing perspective as you can add up each ingredient by the penny. • Always make a mock-up flower crown with the materials you’re planning on using to see how they handle and how long they last. • Try to use some special or unusual flower varieties, because you want to impress guests enough that they buy from you again. • Prepare drinks and refreshments. Think ahead as local food businesses might be willing to sponsor a free or discounted spread if you promote them at the event.

Products

We promised a shortcut for workshop novices, so here it is: headbands. Flower crowns are hugely popular but unlike hand-tieds they’re a lot harder to get right. To guarantee future custom, it’s crucial that guests go home clutching a beautiful creation that they’re proud to show off online, and not a scrappy heap of flowers and wire that falls apart as soon as it’s picked up. So, we advise using headbands as a base to wire blooms onto. They won’t fall apart, they make teaching non-florists a million times easier and your guests will go home with something substantial and even reusable. Our rose and daisy headbands (pictured below) are £4.95 for trade customers, a cost you can add straight onto your per person workshop fee to immediately add value and guarantee quality. You can incorporate the artificial flowers into your design, or remove or cover up them up completely.

Unique ideas

Offer something even more special and run workshops in floral jewellery or hairpieces. We offer a selection of unique headwear, and all with specially designed plastic attachments for gluing flowers onto. The Luxurious and Imagination head pieces (below left), Accent Crystal Corsage Hair Clip (below centre) and Excitement Crystal Corsage Hair Band (below right) are great for hen do's or promoting as a fun pre-party activity. Why not research events happening in your area and team up with organisers to run an offer. Our plastic headbands (below left), Kyra headbands (second below) and Chelsea hair combs (third below) are fantastic value for ordering in bulk, so they're great for workshops with large groups of people. Don’t forget Finishing Touch silver hair pins (below right) for low cost bonus points.

Costing

• It’s not just flowers that need to be costed, don’t forget any food, drink and extras, and always cost up your own time properly, including the prep, clean up, ordering, marketing and every element involved. • Running workshops in making headwear means you can order short-stemmed flowers and maximise use of every flower head; spray roses and stems with multiple heads are a good choice. • Try to pair up with other businesses to decrease costs. For example, host it in a local pub or restaurant where guests can get a discounted meal or drinks if they stick around afterwards. • Customers are willing to fork out for a memorable experience, and we’ve seen standard rates range from around £25 to £40 per head for flower workshops of varying kinds, usually lasting between one to two hours.

Marketing

• Offer incentives like a percentage off if more than one person books, or discounts on future orders. • Maximise promotional options by making sure workshop attendees do lots of social media activity while they’re there and give them the right hashtags and business pages to tag. • Workshops are a great way to collect customer details to follow-up with email newsletters and other promotions. Find our large range of specialist floral headwear right here, from headbands for wiring stems to hairpieces with plastic attachments for gluing flowers.