Your Excellencies

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen

Good evening. It is indeed my pleasure to be a part of this “Evening with the Stars”. With us this evening are the renowned garden designers who will be participating in the July 2008 Singapore Garden Festival. I would like to extend a warm welcome to the “Stars” of this event.

2. The inaugural Singapore Garden Festival held in Dec 2006 was a huge success. We are now gearing up for the Second Festival to be held in July 2008. We are proud of our show because it is a top-notch garden and flower show that is unique to the tropics. Some may ask, “How is our show unique”? Well, the answer is that it showcases the creations of the top award-winning international and local garden and floral designers all under one roof. In effect, our show is an international competition of top garden designers.

3. This evening’s event marks the start of a 9-month journey during which the designers will breathe life into their garden creations. From now, they will go full steam ahead in their preparations for a great show in July. For our guests, this event serves as a curtain raiser for what we hope will be a truly memorable Festival that you can eagerly look forward to.

4. For the 2008 show, we will be introducing a new component to the Festival, the Singapore Garden Festival Expo, which will comprise a trade exhibition and a conference. The Expo will be a platform to bring together international and regional industry players to exchange ideas and network. The trade exhibition aims to boost the vast business potential of this industry, while the conference will bring together leading practitioners to share best practices and provide insights into emerging markets and trends driving the industry.

5. The expanded Singapore Garden Festival will be the first international landscape and horticulture event of such scale in Singapore, reflecting our desire to develop Singapore as a centre for horticultural excellence. I understand that 13 leading experts from all over the world have already accepted invitations to speak at the conference. There have also been positive indications of support both from Asia and Europe for the trade exhibition.

6. The first garden show in 2006 took more than 2 years to conceptualise and plan. The strong support and feedback from more than 200,000 visitors, participants and guests tell us that we have made a very good start in delivering an iconic event that has put Singapore on the international horticultural calendar. It was made possible because of the support of many partners and sponsors. We look forward to your continued support for the 2008 Singapore Garden Festival.

7. In conclusion, this evening’s event is all about the designers, the “stars” of the Singapore Garden Festival. I am told that this is one of the rare occasions where you will find so many international award-winning designers under one roof. Do take the chance to meet them, and maybe pick up a tip or two on how to design a wonderful garden for your own homes.

8. I wish you a pleasant and enjoyable evening. Thank you.

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