First Details For Gateway to the Americas Cup 2024 Announced
The next Gateway to the Americas Cup will take place at the The Westin Playa Bonita in the beautiful country of Panama on September 1st through 5th, 2024.
The Gateway to the Americas Cup is a world-class floral design competition founded in 1996 by Gus & Deborah De La Flor. Several winners have gone on to compete in the Interflora world cup, and become icons in the floral industry – Ivan Moreno (Colombia), Tanus Saab (Brazil), Jacob McCall AIFD (USA), Leopoldo Gomez (Mexico), Paul Jaras (Canada) and others. It was most recently held in Orlando Fl in 2022, where the overall winner was Jenna Temple (USA).
"We are working with a wonderful group of ladies in Panama – Marisol Choy, Vilma Jurado Zamora and Cuqui Avila Aguilera of MVC Flowers & Events. We absolutely love them" explained Gateway founder Deborah De La Flor AIFD, PFCI, CFD from Manchester, where she was judging the 2023 Interflora World Cup.
"In addition to the main event, the Gateway to the Americas Cup competition, they are committed to creating an event to remember! It will include floral presentations by incredible floral artists, hands on workshops, and a vendor showcase."
The Gateway to the Americas Cup runs over three days of intense competition. During this period each designer must complete five different design tasks, with each task covering a different category of design. These tasks are unique each time the competition is help and will be announced later this fall.
Only the very best and brightest stars are selected to compete and represent their countries. Some countries have their own preliminary competitions and will be able to send the winner to Panama. Others select a qualified individual to represent their nation. In addition the Gateway Advisory Board is also constantly searching events, industry news and social media and may invite the most promising floral talent.
The first confirmed competitor is Michael Smith, AAF, AIFD, FDI, FSMD. He is the winner of the 54th annual Sylvia Cup and owner of Artistic Designs Unlimited Inc., in Marianna, FL. The final lineup will be in place by spring 2024.
FloristWare will again assist, by providing the floral design evaluation software that will be used to judge the competition and provide real time results to the organizers.
More details can be found on the official Gateway to the Americas Cup website.