He has experienced it all and pioneered initiatives within the floral sector. Charles Lansdorp on the 10 questions this week!
His passion for floral marketing has always been evident, unwavering love for flowers and plants. To date, Charles advocates for continuous promotion and daily use of fresh flowers and plants. Read on to learn more about his floral journey and his current venture at Grandparents' Day Foundation.
Question 1
For those who don’t know you, who are you, and what do you do?
"I'm Charles Lansdorp, working as a consultant in the floriculture sector. I studied international trade and marketing and was fascinated by the special position that the Netherlands had and still has in the international floriculture sector. For my studies, I did internships in Colombia, the United States, and Italy. After my studies, I was able to start in the flower sector as a marketing manager for Southern Europe.
Initially from the Netherlands and the year 2000 onwards I continued this work from Italy. I am also the initiator of the Grandparent's Day foundation, which aims to connect generations, in the fight against loneliness. We do this with the help of flowers and plants and receive support from the floriculture sector. The foundation is active in several countries."
Question 2
What is so special about your job?
"The great thing about my job is that I work internationally in marketing and communication for flowers and plants. Flowers from Holland naturally was the slogan of the Flower Council of Holland for many years, and this has taken me to special places. For example, I appeared on Broadway in a Volendam costume to promote a Dutch bouquet together with 1-800 flowers. I have a wonderful memory of this because of the cooperation I had with Bob and Joan Perilla at the time the representatives of the Flower Council of Holland in the US.
Another special place where I still come thanks to the Dutch flowers and plants is St. Peter's Square in Rome at Easter. In 2026 we will celebrate 40 years of flowers for the Pope and this is the longest-running promotion of flowers from the Netherlands abroad. It gives great satisfaction to be able to use my knowledge and experience for companies in the floriculture sector that want to strengthen their position internationally."
Question 3
Are there any specific challenges or obstacles you’ve faced at work, and how did you overcome them?
"A challenge was to create the interest of flower growers in the trade fair Myplant & Garden in Milan, Italy, I was asked to interest flower growers in the Netherlands for the show. We introduced the concept of 'wedding flowers' with some partners - including Chrysal International, the floral designer Dini Holtrop (HE-AS), and the publisher Whitesposa and Realwedding (leading magazines in the international wedding and fashion market).
Italy is an important wedding destination country; Milan is the city of fashion, and many novelties are introduced from the Netherlands every year. The fair is organized the week after Valentine's Day, a perfect time to present the flower trends in the wedding industry because wedding planners and floral designers have time to visit the fair. In the first few years, we received support from the Dutch Embassy in Rome and the Consulate in Milan, wedding flowers have now become a successful concept, and growers and breeders from other countries are also welcome to participate."
Question 4
What are the threats in the industry, and if so, do you have any solutions for them?
"In the Netherlands, there is currently a lot of attention to sustainability, and last year an important influencer made a call in his program not to buy flowers for his birthday, which has caused a lot of noise also in the floriculture sector. The flower sector is under a magnifying glass and simply communicating a good food print is insufficient. We must show the unique power of flowers, flowers can connect people and this is desperately needed at this time. We do this through the Grandparents Day Foundation, with the flower workshops bringing old and young together.
At Chrysal, we inform florists and wedding planners about proper flower care. A good example is the flower bar; the bridal guests receive a bouquet of the flowers that have been incorporated into the bridal work, so the flowers get a second life and are not thrown away. Good flower care is essential so that the flowers can still look beautiful in the vase at home."
Question 5
How has technology like e-commerce platforms or digital marketing affected your industry, which strategies have you employed to stay competitive?
"The flower sector is still lagging behind in this area, also because we are dealing with a living product. We are now catching up and the new generation of florists are also used to shopping online this will give a boost to the web shops. It is now important that your products are in the web shops making them easy to find."
Question 6
Who (in or outside the floral industry) is an inspiring example to you? And Why?
"An inspiring person in my field of marketing is of course Philip Kotler, his book 'Marketing' is inspiring and provides insight into how we can respond to the future of marketing. Through my work, I was able to meet Pope Francis, which was very inspiring for my work for the Grandparents Day Foundation.
However, the introduction of Grandparents' Day in the Netherlands with the actor Rutger Hauer was a highlight, Rutger Hauer was my hero already in my youth in the television series Floris, he gave me the motivation not to stop in difficult moments."
Question 7
How do you handle stress or difficult moments in your life?
"The best remedy for me is to exercise, preferably outside in nature, which often gives me the right insights needed to overcome the difficult moment."
Question 8
What has been the best (floral or non-floral) news for you lately, or of the last year?
"The great news was that we will be organizing an Italy event at the premises of Chrysal International in Naarden during the Trade fair and the IFTF in November this year. There will be an inspiring program and a flower will be baptized in memory of the Italian florist Alfredo Corvi. Alfredo has meant a lot to the floriculture sector in the Netherlands and Italy."
Question 9
Which is your favorite flower/plant and why is it good for you?
"My favorite flower is the Rose Clarence +, a beautiful orange rose from the breeder Dümmen Orange that is grown by Berg RoseS. This rose means a lot to me because we baptized this rose with soccer player Clarence Seedorf at the World Expo 2015 in Milan. Clarence Seedorf inspired me to start the Felini Foundation."
Question 10
What are you doing this weekend?
"Hopefully, I will spend another day at the seaside this weekend, as it looks like now we have nice weather for a good walk on the beach."
All pictures courtesy of Charles Lansdorp.
