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Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com R E A D O N L I N E 45 Cass School of Floral Design Waterton, Mass. cassflowers.com @cass_school_of_floral_design Founded by Faith Cass, AIFD, CFD, Cass School of Floral Design offers around 60 classes a year, from professional florist training programs to basic floral design workshops. Among those workshops are the school's "Festive Holiday Classes"—in-class sessions during which participants create themed floral designs for holiday celebrations or to give as gifts. "For our 'Festive Holiday Classes,' we offer at least one class in each of these general categories: centerpiece, wreath, trending design and natural arrangement," explains Tyke Patriquin, administrative director of the school. Cass School has found that these design categories attract the most interest and students. is year, the school will offer six workshops between Nov. 20 and Dec. 15, on both weekday evenings, and on weekend mornings. "We have found that midweek evenings and By Andrew Joseph A lthough the fall season replaces summer this month, a florist's work is never done, especially where the anticipation of offering holiday workshops in just a month or two is concerned. First, there is the autumn season, harvest time and anksgiving, which require floral décor of their own, and then it's winter, Hanukkah (Chanukah) and Christmas. While the world is opening again after the lockdowns surrounding COVID-19, you don't have to develop only in-house workshops. ere's the opportunity to go to a business workplace, for example, and set up the workshop there or to create a live webinar. Remember, though, that part of the fun of a workshop is the interaction between the customers and between the customers and you, the instructor. For those considering a live webinar, you could offer kits of the required flowers and supplies that you could deliver or ship to customers a day or two before the webinar. Some retail florists offer workshops during which they allowed customers to browse around the shop and pick their own botanical items, containers and accessories, but we recommend you provide customers with either a "kit" or access to only specific flowers, accessories and supplies. Once you have decided which holiday(s) you wish to showcase your workshop(s) around, determine what type of floral design(s) your customer base would be interested in making— centerpieces/tablescapes, wreaths, novelty designs, etc. To provide some tips, examples and inspiration, Florists' Review contacted florists across North America to learn about their offerings, fees, class sizes and the scope of teaching— i.e., does everyone copy what the instructor does, or do you teach the basics and then allow your students to create their own designs? Cass School of Floral Design

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