By Roxy Ekberg
Republican Staff
Sarah Ekberg, owner of Lazy Acres Decor & Floral, achieved a floral accreditation and presented on the main stage of the premiere national floral event.
Ekberg was pinned into membership of the American Institute of Floral Design on July 3, hours after presenting on the main stage of the 2024 National Symposium in Orlando, FL.
Ekberg achieved membership in the organization by passing a four-hour test held at the 2023 symposium in Chicago, IL. The four-hour test has a passing rate of less than 20 percent — only 31 florists were pinned of the 125 who tested in 2023.
Ekberg received her score on July 31, 2023, but inductees are not recognized as members until they are pinned at the official ceremony.
Ekberg became the eighth Nebraskan to earn the AIFD certification.
“It’s a very hard thing to accomplish,” Ekberg said. “And the fact that a girl from a small town in our state did it says that just because you come from a small town doesn’t mean you don’t have what it takes to accomplish great things.”
Less than two hours before being inducted, Ekberg presented on the main stage of the symposium.
Four up-and-coming florists were asked to create a floral design for a main stage show honoring long-term AIFD members. For the show, titled Iconic Presenters Revisited, Ekberg honored Tim Farrell AIFD.
Ekberg created a golden, spiraling sculpture surrounded by lush, white flowers, which represented Farrell’s past presentation featuring famous Broadway musicals.
To an audience of hundreds of people, Farrell was revealed as the icon honoree, and Ekberg’s piece was displayed. In a dramatic twist that left the audience in “oohs” and “aahs,” Ekberg pressed a button and activated the sculpture to rotate in a spiral.
“I had to think of what a Broadway show means to me,” Ekberg said. “I don’t just think of the show, I think of the orchestra, I think of all the energy, and then the star comes out and all that energy is wrapped into the star and that’s why I wanted all that energy to come together in that moment.”
Ekberg was nominated to present on the main stage in January and was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep the project under wraps. Between then and the main stage, Ekberg researched Farrell’s presentation, submitted her proposal, and crafted several prototypes of the sculpture.
The final product was six months in the making, ending with four days in the workroom at the symposium.
“Some florists never make it to the main stage in their entire career,” Ekberg said. “The fact that I got to do it two hours before I was inducted was insane. It was amazing. It was a big honor.”
In August, Ekberg will be inducted into the organization Professional Floral Communicators International, a network of professional floral business educators. Ekberg earned this title by submitting presentations and educational videos to a panel of judges.
Going forward, Ekberg plans to use her new accreditations and experience to help other florists in small towns and rural areas.