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THE Riffa Views Bahrain International Garden Show has over the years evolved into a national hallmark event for Bahrain with Her Highness Shaikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa as one of its staunchest supporters.
This year's exhibition will be a festival of senses with the theme, Scented Gardens.
"RVBIGS 2008 is going to be the best gardening and lifestyle show in Bahrain's history," said Shaikha Maram Isa Al Khalifa, head of RVBIGS' organising committee and director-office of Her Highness, Wife of His Majesty King Hamad.
This year's exhibition has the strongest participation in its five year history with a total of 88 exhibitors of whom 43 are international and 45 local.
RVBIGS 2008 will occupy 16,000 square metres of indoor space occupying the entire space of two halls and the Convention Centre of BIEC.
There will be buyers and exhibitors coming from Japan, Pakistan, Thailand, Syria, Egypt, France, Germany, UK, South Africa, India, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE who will join the ranks with Bahrain based retailers and manufacturers. It is anticipated that more than 12,000 visitors will turn up for the event.
Indoor exhibits will not be limited to flowers, plants and trees but will also include garden technology, swimming pools and equipment, lighting and furniture, fertilisers, landscaping equipment and tools, ornamental metalworks, paving stones, irrigation systems, sprinklers, seeds, children's playground equipment, aqua culture, Jacuzzis, spas and hot tubs, greenhouses and garden sheds, awnings and canopies, ponds, barbeque and grill equipment, domestic birds and supplies.
RVBIGS will showcase Bahrain Garden Club's (BGC) 43rd Annual Amateur Flower and Vegetable Show with competitions for best garden, open flower, vegetable and fruit, experimental gardening, flower and vegetable arrangement, furniture building, pottery and scientific research.
Riffa Views has launched an 'Eden Challenge' which has attracted the participation of more than 70 private and government schools in Bahrain.
Richard Browning, Riffa Views chief executive officer, said: "As part of the initiative we will be planting tress at all the schools that registered and a similar number of site at Riffa Views, with the hope that these trees will act as a permanent reminder to the children about their interaction with the environment around them."
Award-winning academic, television personality, author, horticulture expert and host of BBC television's 'Flying Gardener', Chris Beardshaw will give a lecture at the show.
This will be followed be another lecture by Madison Cox, an internationally-acclaimed landscape artist, author and lecturer.
Artwork by Iraqi artist, Himat Mohammad Ali will also be on display which will feature his translation of Japanese poetry into beautiful paintings of flowers.
RVBIGS 2008 is being held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre from February 22 till 24.
It will be open to public from 10am to 9pm daily. Tickets are 500 fils for a three-day pass. Entry for children up to the age of 12 is free.
