More than 2,000 of the world’s top plant scientists will gather in Australasia during 2014, following the announcement of Brisbane as the host city for the 29th International Horticultural Congress (IHC).
Australia and New Zealand were named as hosts for the Congress by Council members of the International Society of Horticultural Science (ISHS) during an International Council meeting in Seoul, South Korea prior to the staging of the 2006 International Horticultural Congress in mid-August.
The successful bid to host the Congress was prepared jointly by members of the Australian Society for Horticultural Sciences (AuSHS) and the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science (NZIAHS) who will be joint hosts for the 2014 Congress, with support from the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre and Brisbane Marketing.
Significant support was also provided by Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) and by horticultural industries and science organisations in Australia and New Zealand.
The five-day congress is expected to attract delegates from well over 100 countries.
The Congress, which is held every four years, will next take place in Lisbon in 2010 before going to Brisbane in 2014. This is only the second time that the IHC has been held in the southern hemisphere, having previously been staged in Sydney in 1978. Workshops and horticultural tours will be held prior to the congress, including some in New Zealand.
Dr Russ Stephenson, of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, chairman of the bid committee, said: “Australia and New Zealand make leading edge contributions to international horticultural science and our industries utilise the research outcomes to maintain their competitiveness in global markets.
“Now we must work closely together to organise a memorable event when we showcase all aspects of Australian and New Zealand horticulture to the world at IHC 2014.”
