The WOC Trust was established in 1988 by the American Orchid Society (AOS) and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), with its headquarters in Bermuda.  The Trust is managed by its board of five Trustees, comprised of two representatives nominated by each patron organisation, plus the Appleby Trust (Bermuda) Ltd. (ATB), who act for and host the Trust.

The Trustees

The present Trustees are -

The President of the Trust is currently Mr Peter Furniss, who will continue in that position until shortly after the next WOC in 2011.

What the Trust does

A full meeting of the Trust is held at least once a year, in Bermuda, usually in November.  The Trustees also meet at other times and in other parts of the world, as required, for example at each WOC.

The Trust will receive proposals to host a future WOC.  Typically one or two of the Trustees will undertake site visits to establish the viability of, and advise on, formal bids.

Subsequently the Trust may appoint a Site Selection Committee of suitably qualified individuals, as and when required.  The Committee's purpose is to carefully consider all contending bids for a WOC, concluding with recommendations to the Trust as to the most suitable.  Follow-up site visits by Trustees may also be carried out prior to final site selection.

Following confirmation of a new WOC venue, the Trustees will maintain regular oversight of progress with planning the event, increasing in frequency as the date of the event approaches.  This is achieved through a combination of written reports provided by the WOC's organising committee and further site visits.

How to get in touch

Contact with the Trust should be made as follows -