African Violet Society of Canada
2014 Convention, April 23-26, 2014
"Violets Roam the World"

Please note: "Violets Roam the World, the 2014 Convention and Show of the African Violet Society of Canada is now over. We hope that our delegates and visitors enjoyed it. The members of our host club, Toronto African Violet Society, certainly did and so did delegates from across Canada and the world. We will soon update these Convention pages of the AVSC web site with actual write-ups, reviews and photos. In the meantime we leave it as it was, but remember that it is now over for another year. Sorry if you missed it. We hope you can come to a future Convention and show.

Your Invitation to Attend

By Sayeh Beheshti and Doris Brownlie

The 2014 AVSC Convention in Toronto is quickly becoming a reality and it is time to register for it. If you have never visited Toronto, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn that Toronto is not only one of the most multicultural cities in theworld, but also one of the safest large metropolitan area in North America. Nestled on the shores of Lake Ontario, it is
the largest city in Canada.

Your hosts, the Toronto African Violet Society, are delighted to welcome you to our great city and will do their best to make your visit memorable.

And here we are, your hosts, in front of the greenhouses at Toronto Botanical Gardens.

We have tried our best to make this convention as convenient as possible for you. This time, all the various registration forms have been combined into a single form that covers everything from judging school to meal selection. The only item that has to be processed separately is your hotel reservation. The Westin Prince Hotel is offering reservations through a dedicated website as well as a toll-free number. All the hotel reservation information is listed separately here.

Your convention registration form is included in the centre pages of Chatter magazine in the January-April issue and can be placed on a photocopier and copied onto a letter size paper, or removed from the magazine and mailed in. The January-March issue of 'Chatter' contains all the necessary information, registration form and schedule of events, which are also available right here on this website through the Forms & Information section.

This year, since due to the parity of the Canadian and US Dollars, we are able to accept personal cheques in either currency. This will eliminate any need to obtain Canadian funds money orders or bank drafts. Registrants from other countries can pay on arrival at the registration desk.

AVSC has been offering a grace period for members with expired memberships so many members are under the impression that they are in good standing, when in fact, their membership has expired. Please check the back cover of your magazine to verify your expiry date. If your membership has expired, you can still register using the non-member
registration option, registering and renewing your membership in one option.

As a member in good standing of AVSC, your $45 convention registration fee gives you:

· A name badge that you will wear at all times showing where you live with a registration number

· A folder containing a list of all registered attendees and a souvenir booklet that includes the program of events and locations, the show schedule and other convention information.

· A “goodie bag” containing handy things for your growing as well as other miscellaneous items.

· Entrance to all four programmes during the convention. Please mark the programmes that you would like to attend on your registration form since the room layout and seating will have to be set to accommodate the number of people who sign-up. As an international convention, attendees will be able to meet and talk with AVSC members from all over the world, including Stan Ko and Ruth Coulson who are traveling from Hong Kong and Australia, Winston Goretsky who is travelling from Calgary as well as our own Toronto-based Ursula Eley and Judy Zinni.

· The opportunity to attend some or all of the scheduled meals where each attendee also receives a table favour. These meals are an active part of convention activities as they include various announcements, presentations, and meetings in addition to the opportunity to meet and socialize with other members.

· The chance to bid on the silent auction items. There will be a special room for this purpose and you can use your registration number to bid on the items displayed there.

· Access to the flower show after the Friday evening awards banquet to view the top awards and talk to the winning exhibitors about their entries.

· The opportunity to take part in the guided tour of the Toronto Botanical Garden. This tour will include a stop at the Don Mills Centre where you can do a bit of shopping, sight-seeing or maybe even have a cup of coffee.

· On Friday night from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. there will be a special reception where you can meet the Chatter columnists who have been regularly featured in Chatter. This reception will also feature a cash-bar of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as well as some snacks.
We will be having a lovely hospitality Suite where volunteers and delegates can relax, grab a snack or just socialize with others.

We have gone to great lengths to ensure that our Sales room has a lot of vendors so you can begin making a “wish-list” of plants and supplies you need. You can round off your visit with a bit of the world-class shopping and dining at Fairview Mall or the Don Mills Centre.
We hope that you also consider volunteering some time to help with various convention activities throughout the week.

None of these volunteer jobs require experience or special training, but will be critical to make the convention enjoyable for all.

Whatever activities you decide to do on your visit, one thing that we can guarantee is that you will be impressed by the genuine warmth and hospitality of the members of the Toronto African Violet Society and will return home with many wonderful memories of your stay. We, in turn, are looking forward to your visit and to sharing our wonderful city with you.

Right: The Westin Prince is our Convention Hotel. Go to the Forms & Information page for more information.

TAVS members reviewing entries at a recent local show before the  judging. The Convention show will be much larger with many more show plants to say nothing of many great sales tables, friends new and old, educational programs, African violet judging school, and still more.