Section 1
The WOC Trust and History of the WOC

1.1

The WOC Trust

The World Orchid Conference Trust (WOC Trust) was established with its headquarters in Bermuda in 1988.  The Trustees are two representatives nominated by the American Orchid Society (AOS), two nominated by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), plus the Appleby Trust (Bermuda) Limited, Bermuda.  The Trust meets annually in Bermuda, usually in November or December, and in other parts of the world as required.

1.2

History of the WOC

The Conference takes place once every three years.  The first Conference was held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in 1954.  The 19th Conference was held in Miami, Florida, USA, in 2008.  Intervening Conferences have been held in Honolulu, London, Singapore, Long Beach, Sydney, Medellin, Frankfurt, Bangkok, Durban, Miami, Tokyo, Auckland, Glasgow, Rio de Janeiro, Vancouver, Shah Alam, and Dijon.  The 20th is scheduled for Singapore in 2011 and the 21st in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2014.

Inquiries about hosting the 22nd WOC in 2017 are now welcome.  In the Northern Hemisphere the Conference usually takes place in March / May, in the Southern Hemisphere usually in September / November.

1.3

Role of WOC Trustees

The primary role of the WOC Trustees is to ensure continuity of this long-running series of international events.  The Trustees are responsible for the choice of sites for future conferences, and for making sure that each event happens, follows an agreed format, and is enjoyed by all participants.  They are each committed to the task, at no little personal expense, and may also be involved as registrants, lecturers, judges or exhibitors in their own right.

To ensure continuity they usually arrive early, before the Conference as a whole begins, and stay until after the closure.  They need to have access to the whole venue throughout this period, especially to monitor various aspects during set-up and judging.  During the Conference and Show they will have access as registrants.  During the break down they may also wish to be present.  Organizing Committees are requested to make sure that Trustees are kept up to date with any last minute changes so that they can be useful and helpful to all concerned.

The Trustees are often highly respected judges in their own right and may well have been selected to participate in Show and Plant judging, but if this is not the case it is essential that they are invited as observers to the judging of higher medals and trophies and to any other ad hoc deliberations regarding judging.

The WOC Trustees are invariably experienced participants and deeply concerned about the success of each Conference.  In addition to maintaining the Trust Fund and making sure the limited resources are wisely used, they are prepared to offer advice and share the knowledge acquired from the many conferences they have attended.  Their wish and need to help is repeated in several places throughout these Guidelines.  It cannot be over-emphasized that they have the responsibility, the know-how, and the desire to make sure everything goes smoothly.

But these are Guidelines, not rules or regulations, and it is hoped that they will be used in the spirit in which they are offered to all those involved in inviting and staging a WOC.

Please do consult the President and WOC Trustees at any time.