STAYING POWER Tempe Blooms encourages visitors to linger, explore and interact with floral art. Average visits grew from 3.5 hours in 2024 to five hours in 2025, demonstrating the festival’s ability to engage attendees beyond a quick photo opportunity.


Designing an Experience Arizona Flower Market had already begun experimenting with new ways to connect people with flowers. The company partnered with


schools, hosted educational experi- ences and invited consumers behind the scenes to learn how flowers move from farm to vase. These programs weren’t designed to generate immediate sales. Instead, they were intended to create appreciation and curiosity. Tempe Blooms became the natural


next step. Rather than inviting a few dozen


people into their facility, Arizona Flower


Market partnered with the Downtown Tempe Authority to bring flowers directly into the community. The concept was ambitious: trans-


form an entire downtown district into a floral experience where flowers become art, education, entertainment and social connection all at once. Visitors encounter large-scale floral


installations, mural artists, musicians, floral demonstrations, hands-on work- shops, floral-themed food and beverage experiences, vendor markets and build- your-own-bouquet stations. Instead of simply viewing flowers, attendees interact with them.


“People weren’t rushing through


the festival to check another event off their list,” says Brennen Rigler. “They stayed. They explored. They attended demonstrations. They voted for their favorite installations. They asked designers questions. They built bou- quets. They returned with friends and family.” Location-tracking data showed


attendees spent significantly more time at the event, with average visits increasing from 3.5 hours in 2024 to 5 hours in 2025 — evidence that Tempe Blooms wasn’t just attracting visitors but deeply engaging them.


The magazine of the Society of American Florists (SAF) 25


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