WHAT IS THE WORLD BAMBOO CONGRESS?

The World Bamboo Congress (WBC) is a unique event that encourages global interaction by providing a platform for direct networking and the sharing of ideas and information.

10- 15 April 2012, Antwerp BELGIUM
The 6 day event will include lectures divided into distinct categories relating to Science and Society (culture and economics) and Design, Innovation and Architecture (construction and products).

In the last 15 years, the WBC has grown to attract at least 400 participants from more than 30 countries around the world, including world-renowned experts in bamboo design, construction, and architecture. For any professional that works with this amazing natural resource -- whether a botanist, biologist, horticulturist, architect, artist, designer, businessperson, government representative, non-profit organization, or economist, the WBC has been an ideal opportunity to meet and develop collaborations in research and development, project or business development, while at the same time, advancing the social and environmental goals derived from the various applications of bamboo.

Bamboo trade shows and cultural performances are also a special part of the WBC. Needless to say, this international event has contributed significantly to the evolution of bamboo sectors locally, regionally and internationally, and has, without a doubt, raised the profile of bamboo as not only a unique, beautiful material with a rich cultural heritage, but an alternative and viable natural resource with a myriad of uses for today's world.



About The World Bamboo Organization (WBO)


The mission of the World Bamboo Organization is to promote and support the use of bamboo as a sustainable and alternative natural resource through the development of partnerships and alliances, and the creation of mechanisms for global communication, information exchange, and technology transfer. Originally founded as the International Bamboo Association (IBA), the idea for an international coordinating body for bamboo practitioners was born out of discussions at the 1991 International Bamboo Workshop in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The IBA was consequently established at the 1992 International Bamboo Congress in Japan. Through 1998, the IBA had been the coordinating platform for bamboo people around the world, with its primary responsibility being the International Bamboo Congress & International Bamboo Workshop. A union of these two distinct gatherings is today called the World Bamboo Congress, and has lead to the re-birth of the IBA into the World Bamboo Organization. The WBO was legally formed as a U.S. tax-exempt trade association in 2005 by CEO Susanne Lucas. She currently holds the position of Executive Director.

Kamesh Salam (India) served as WBO President since December, 2007 until December, 2010. In January 2010, Michel Abadie (France) became President, and will serve through 2013.

The founding members of the WBO include Susanne Lucas (USA), I.V. Ramanuja Rao (India), Karina Quintans (USA), David Flanagan (USA), Carmelita Bersalona (Philippines), Amin Samuel Zacca (Ghana), Jorge Campos (Chile), Victor Brias (Belgium), Shozo Shibata (Japan).

The WBO is a tax-exempt trade association (501-c6) formed to facilitate the exchange of information from around the world on the environmental, socioeconomic, biological, and cultural aspects of bamboo. By bringing together local and regional bamboo people and creating mechanisms for global communications, the WBO's goal is to facilitate the development of new partnerships and alliances to advance the causes of bamboo and furthering the efforts of bamboo practitioners worldwide.