It was going to be his first edition as chairman, but he had to announce the cancellation of this year’s FlowerTrials scheduled for week 24. A huge disappointment for Norman Cools. Even if it was the right decision and participants were all very understanding. It’s hard to say anything about the 2021 edition at this stage, because there are still many uncertainties. If FlowerTrials is going ahead next year, which Cools does expect, it will be bigger than ever.
Norman Cools, PR & ICT Manager at VWS FlowerBulbs, has been the chairman of FlowerTrials since September 2019. “I joined the board in 2016 and as the longest-serving board member, I took over from Gill Corless. Probably the best way to pass on the position of chairperson.” The board consists of an additional three members and a secretariat.
Will FlowerTrials continue in the same way?
“There won’t be any radical changes because the event has become a long-standing tradition. Within the board, I’ve always lobbied for a more digital course. It took some time for the idea to materialise, but we’ve now decided to work on that the coming years. The FlowerTrials app is a first step. The coronavirus crisis has put the introduction of the new app on hold, but the 2020 edition might have been too early for it anyway. The thing is, you can only launch a new app once. If it’s good, it will stay around; if it’s bad, the investment will be wasted.”
Click here to read the full interview in Floribusiness magazine.
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