Gathering an international crowd of 27 participants from 12 countries, the Union Fleurs 2013 Autumn meeting took place in Bogotá, Colombia from 28 September to 1 October, with a special focus on South America thanks to the active participation of our hosting member Asocolflores, the Association of Colombian Flower Exporters.
The 3-day meeting first took Union Fleurs members and guests through a captivating visit of Bogotá to get acquainted with the country’s culture and history. Struck by Colombian hospitality, this first glimpse got everyone in shape to make the most of next day’s Union Fleurs Autumn Meeting 2013. After the standard administrative session and financial review, the meeting moved to a fruitful discussion on Union Fleurs activities and upcoming priorities. Union Fleurs members took stock of the latest developments in EU and World Trade policy issues and the Union Fleurs new communications officer filled the audience in on the recent adjustments and new Union Fleurs communications tools that have been put in place since the 2013 General Assembly in April. To conclude this productive morning, each country representative was invited to give an update on their country’s market situation; a much appreciated session that drives knowledge and thoughts on the upcoming trends and challenges for the worldwide flower industry.
An open session was held in the afternoon, where Union Fleurs had invited a number of guests to present updates on the global flower industry: Andrea Gonzalez, Director Economic & Logistics Affairs at Asocolflores, Ximena Franco, Director at Florverde® Sustainable Flowers, Jeroen Oudheusden, Executive Director of the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI), Christine Boldt, Executive Vice-President of AFIF, the Association of Floral Importers of Florida, Cecil Alfaro from the Costa Rican farm Plantas y Flores Ornamentales SA and finally, Asocolflores Board and member of the Society of American Florists (SAF) Marketing Committee Member Daniel Velez, came to share their knowledge and present their projects to the assembly.
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