Chaiwathana Orchid Garden and Orchid Society of Papua New Guinea Win Top Awards at 20th World Orchid Conference World Orchid Show

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam officially opened the 20^th World Orchid Conference (20WOC) today with over 1,000 international and local guests at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre Basement 2. The triennial WOC is the largest and most significant event on the international orchid calendar. At the 20WOC opening ceremony organised by the National Parks Board (NParks) and Orchid Society of Southeast Asia (OSSEA), the winners of the top awards for the World Orchid Show were announced, with Chaiwathana Orchid Garden and Orchid Society of Papua New Guinea clinching the highest honours at the show.

Singapore is privileged to be the only Asian city to host WOC for the second time, after the 4^th WOC 48 years ago in 1963. Themed 'Where Old World and New World Orchids Meet', the 20WOC is well supported by the international community, with participation from over 55 countries in the three components - the conference, orchid show and marketplace. Held from 13 to 20 November 2011, the show is expected to attract some 300,000 local and international visitors.

Guests at the opening ceremony got a glimpse of some of the world's finest and most spectacular orchids at the 20WOC World Orchid Show. With a dazzling array of over 50,000 orchids of about 5,000 varieties in more than 75 displays, the show saw over 210 orchid judges awarding more than 743 ribbons, medals and trophies to the best orchids.

At the event, Dr. Kiat W. Tan, Chairman of the 20WOC Organising Committee and CEO of Gardens by the Bay, said: "It is a great privilege for our City in a Garden to host the WOC twice.  We have for many years held a great fascination with the beauty and exoticism of orchids, indeed our national flower is the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid. With our longstanding history with orchids and orchids export, this WOC will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase our orchid heritage, encourage the exchange of ideas amongst the orchid community and establish Singapore as a thriving centre for orchid floriculture.  We are certain that this WOC will boost the interest in orchids in Singapore, just like what happened in 1963." (Please check against delivery)

Unveiling of 20WOC stamps and native orchid coins

At the opening ceremony, DPM Tharman also unveiled a set of specially-designed commemorative 20WOC stamps as well as the 2011 Native Orchids of Singapore coins. Visitors to the show will be able to purchase the newly launched products at the 20WOC retail shop at the show.

The 20WOC stamps by Singapore Post (SingPost) feature the Vanda Miss Joaquim, Singapore's national flower, the Renanthera 20th WOC Singapore 2011, an orchid specially named to commemorate the event, Dendrobium World Peace, also known as 'Golden Shower', Cyrtocidium Goldiana, also known as 'Dancing Lady' for its shape, and the Grammatophyllum speciosum, the largest orchid in the world, also known as 'Tiger Orchid'.

The 2011 Native Orchids of Singapore coins by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and The Singapore Mint are the first in a new series that celebrate the beauty of over 200 species of orchids that once thrived in Singapore. The two native orchids that are featured in the series are the Grammatophyllum speciosum and the Cymbidium finlaysonianum. To further enhance the uniqueness of the coins, The Singapore Mint incorporated a distinctive and unique special semi-rimless design, which make the flowers seem as if they are "protruding" out of the coins.

Conference

More than 1,000 registrants from around the globe have signed up to participate in the four-day conference, with lectures, workshops and seminars by some 130 orchid experts from 31 countries covering the latest trends, technology, and scientific discoveries in the orchid world. Some of the topics include medicinal orchids, orchid conservation, and orchid breeding and hybridization.

Marketplace

Visitors to the World Orchid Show can shop for the finest orchid plants, unique orchid-related products, and products with exquisite orchid-themed designs by some 80 vendors from 17 countries. Some of the interesting products include orchids with chocolate scent, and scented shawls with unique orchid designs.