Green Cities and Horticultural Expo Best Practices are among the topics to be discussed at the Annual Congress of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), which is taking place this week at Expo 2016 Antalya. With the Expo’s international gardens as its backdrop, the Congress will be an opportunity for attendees to exchange, gain knowledge and benefit from insights into horticulture and green policies.

The week-long Congress is running from 26 September until 1 October and will include a Green City conference, a two-day International Horticultural Expo conference, a tour of the Expo 2016 site and of the surrounding area, and the AIPH’s Annual Congress meeting.

Tomorrow, the Congress will dedicate a full day to the International Green City Conference, which will focus on ‘Making Cities Greener and Healthier’. The topic of the conference chimes with the motto of Expo 2016 Antalya – A Green Life for Future Generations –, with discussions to focus on how the health and well-being of those who live in cities can be improved by greening policies. Selected speakers from the Netherlands, Qatar, China and the United States, among others, will address the conference, sharing their expertise and promoting the benefits of urban greening.

With Expo 2016 Antalya as the perfect venue, the International Horticultural Expo Conference – to be held on 27-28 September - will allow participants to exchange and compare Best Practices. The conference will hear from Expo 2016 organisers as well as those planning upcoming Horticultural Expos, notably Expo 2019 Beijing.

Attendees to the Congress will also have the opportunity to tour the 112-hectare site of Expo 2016, with its 50 international participants, and 11 thematic gardens. The Expo, which has “Flowers and Children” as its theme, will close on 30 October.

The AIPH unites horticultural producers in an international community that has thrived from 1948 to this day. Since 1959, the AIPH and the BIE have worked together to oversee the organisation of category A1 International Horticultural Expos.