Ithaca College

Leigh Ann Vaughn presented two plenary talks at the Seeley Conference at Cornell University, June 2005. Seeley Conferences are think-tank explorations of a topic important to the future of the floral industry.

At the 2005 Seeley Conference - the 20th - the topic was "Stayin' Alive: Can We Captivate the Elusive Consumer?" Questions explored included:

Who is consuming flowers and plants?
What is on the mind of floral consumers?
How are other industries reacting to the changing consumer?
What new business models are working to reach the elusive consumer?
What benefits should be conveyed to consumers to achieve the goals of the industry and individual businesses?
How must we reinvent of industry's products to better relate to consumers?

Conference attendees examined these issues against the backdrop of an industry facing shrinking profit margins and complex and ever-changing market channels, as well as consumers facing competing and increasingly sophisticated marketing messages that can confuse and bewilder even the savviest among them. Leigh Ann Vaughn's talks were "Lessons Learned: Insights From Last Year's Conference" (with Robert M. Williams, Vice President of North American Operations at Smithers-Oasis), and "Psych 101: A refresher" (in which she discussed research on kinds of purchases people think will make them happy, and how self-perceived effectiveness can affect thoughts, feelings, and behavior).