CONFERENCE HELD IN UNIT’S HEADQUARTERS

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31595, 5 February 1968, Page 6

CONFERENCE HELD IN UNIT’S HEADQUARTERS

The annual conference of the Interflora Pacific Unit, Ltd, is being held in Christchurch, the unit’s headquarters, this week; the conference began with a council meeting and the president’s reception yesterday and will conclude on Wednesday with a tour of Christchurch. , . .....

Eighty of the leading florists from all parts of New Zealand and Australia are attending the conference which is being held in the Russley Hotel’ A varied programme, including, the annual meeting, conference business, social events and informative tours, has been drawn UP-

Th* Interflora Pacific Unit is part of a world wide floral service which has over 33,000 members in 188 countries.

The Interflora service is highly organised, even to the extent of having their own international currency, celled the fleurin. This monetary unit is used in the transmitUng of all orders. The Pacific Unit has more than 300 members and embraces Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Fiji Islands and New Zealand. Head office and clearing house for order* 1* located |n Christchurch whert the actual clearing of the orders isperformed by computer.

Twenty-two years ago on July 22, 1948, representatives

of th* throe largest flower* by Wire Organisations in th* world met tn Copenhagen to found a naWlpter national Corporation, Interflora Incorporated, which was to establish and maintain th overseas flowera-by-Wjre Service around the world.

Th* original agreement stated:—"For our respective aisocistlon, pledge ■, to further Its ltrtereW* *o that the world may be better served, eod tb* friendship* of nation* cemented through the medium of flowers." This was the official beginning of a trad* agreement That allowed flower* to be sent to the whole world.

Interflora Incorporated now links the facilities of florists in North and South America, Europe, the British foies, Africa and Atta, tn form a

global flowers-by-wlre service and th* lymbol of Mtrcury, God of Speed, can be found in almost any large town in th* world. Th* thro* organisations that eompris* Interflora are: Fleurop, serving Continental Europe, interflora British Unit, serving the British Commonwealth, and Florists Telegraph Delivery Association, serving North and South America. Headquarters for th* British Unit is London, for the Fleurop Organisation in Zurich and F.T.D. in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America. Orders sent by these members now total 86,000 order* per day or an average of *!■

most one order every second of every day throughout the vast international network.