This week’s Florist Friday blog post is a little bit different to normal. It’s an interview with a gentleman whose company supports the UK floristry industry…Paul Williams of PollenCrew. Paul’s pictured above with Amanda and Julie from The Floral Angels. And pictured below are just a few of the installations that PollenCrew have been involved with.
Could you tell us about the background behind your company, PollenCrew?
I’d been working in the industry since December 2005, initially for Shane Connolly but as my reputation grew so too did the demand.Finally In 2008, I registered PollenCrew as a limited company and we’ve grown from strength to strength. Having that ‘can do’ attitude and as florists always say ‘pollen boys liked to make a plan to get the job done’, the rest is history.
What kind of services do you offer?
We provide logistical solutions to florists (a man and a van service) with specific experience in the trade, drivers for your vans, manpower, crew to assist with installs and clears…with a good knowledge of how to work with flowers. We play pivotal roles in the fabrication of designs on a massive scale and we create structures for florists to turn into works of art. We also offer contract assistance. Weekly contracts are made easier having a guy to drive around and carry your vases with ease. Plus we offer storage solutions such as racking systems for additional space and mezzanine floors. And we’ve extended our services to include florist work spaces, weekly hire of a workshop for those events that are just too large to do from your kitchen table and storage space on long term hire.
What types of businesses do you work with?
Florists (both big and small), party planners, caterers and also directly with venues that hold events.
Being based in London, where do you operate?
We work locally, nationally and internationally.
If I’m a new florist and haven’t used your services before, please could you advise me of how you can help me/the process?
Simply call our office team who have first-hand experience of the events industry. All of our staff have had training on site, so they can help with those everyday questions that you may not think to ask. Once you’ve made contact, we’ll send you our easy-to-read rate sheet. This also helps you with your costings when quoting for a job. We’ll only ever charge for the actual hours worked. So you don’t have to worry if you’ve booked 10 hours and our efficient team have installed in only 6 hours. With our extensive knowledge of venues and the restrictions that apply, we generally can help you work out the best method on how to allocate the crew to a particular job. We’re also able to clear your event unassisted, leaving you with precious time to rest and recover, so that you’re fresh for the next creative project in hand.
Could you tell us about your involvement with The Floral Angels?
Shane Connolly had been in contact and mentioned that there was a group of ladies in need of some help to get their charity up and running. When they contacted us very soon after that we thought it best to meet up and see how we could assist. Having been in the industry for several years, we’d seen how much waste there was and thought that The Floral Angels and their charity was exactly what was needed. We helped with their website, provided a sponsored van for their deliveries and often send crew to help deliver to the locations selected (and to make tea for the florists!)
What are your plans for the remainder of 2015?
To get better at what we do, provide the best possible service that this industry needs and to continue growing in size and knowledge.
Thank you so much to Paul for all his help in compiling today’s blog post. If you’d like to find out more about the company, do pop over to the PollenCrew website. Social media wise, you can find them on Instagram. By the way…isn’t their company name just so perfect for the floristry industry!
P.S. PollenCrew also helped Victoria Flowers and Foxgloves & Glory with their Chelsea in Bloom 2015 winning design. You can read Victoria’s blog post here.
(Images : All PollenCrew, except Neill Strain images – Rona Wheeldon | Flowerona)
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