ARCADIS : SOUNDS BELL NYSE EURONEXT TO CELEBRATE OPENING OF FLORIADE 2012

Chief Executive Officer Harrie Noy of ARCADIS (NYSE EURONEXT: ARCAD), the international design, consulting, engineering and management services company, today sounded the opening bell at the NYSE Euronext stock exchange on location in Venlo, the Netherlands, at the occasion of the official opening (later today by Queen Beatrix) of the largest horticultural show on earth: Floriade. ARCADIS co-designed and realized the Floriade park.

The central theme for Floriade is Living nature. From the perspective that horticulture is a key factor in the creation of quality of life, the Floriade Park will consist of five thematic fields. The theme field Relax & Heal will focus on the importance of horticulture for a health life style. Horticulture as economic engine and provider of green energy is reflected in the Green Engine. A third thematic field, Education & Innovation shows the interaction between horticulture on the one hand and education and innovation on the other. The theme field Environment emphasizes the importance of a green (work) environment and gardens for our wellbeing. And finally in the World Show Stage horticulture is showcased as an inspiration for art, culture and entertainment.

Once the Floriade exposition is over, the Park will be transferred to an agricultural business park. ARCADIS has been involved in the development of Floriade 2012 since the spring of 2004. This involvement is based in part on its prior experience with these types of exhibitions. ARCADIS also contributed its expertise in land development to the project. Floriade 2012 has been fully realized on sustainable principles.

For more information please contact Joost Slooten at +31-20-2011083, or outside office hours at +31-6-27061880or via email joost.slooten@arcadis.com.

About ARCADIS:
ARCADIS is an international company providing consultancy, design, engineering and management services in infrastructure, water, environment and buildings. We enhance mobility, sustainability and quality of life by creating balance in the built and natural environment. ARCADIS develops, designs, implements, maintains and operates projects for companies and governments. With 19,000 people and EUR 2.3 billion in revenues, the company has an extensive international network supported by strong local market positions. ARCADIS supports UN-HABITAT with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world.www.arcadis.com

Floriade 2012: A horticultural extravaganza!

It's countdown time to Floriade, the Netherlands' biggest floral bonanza, which happens only once a decade.

There's an air of horticultural panic. Not only because of the imminent arrival of the Dutch monarch, but because the television channel CNN has just listed Floriade 2012 as among the Top Ten World Destinations for the year. Expectations are high.

Every 10 years, the Dutch select a swathe of open land somewhere in the country, plant out the bulbs, construct pavilions, and invite countries from around the globe to set up stall for the 'World Horticultural Expo'. Floriade 2012 is taking place near of the town of Venlo, in the southern province of Limburg. Around me are displays from as far afield as Bolivia and Korea, Bhutan and Japan. And then there's the park.

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Until now, much of the Floriade park was fallow farmland, interspersed by ancient woodland. The woods have been left intact. The bits in between – those not taken up by pavilions, plazas or fountains – have been landscaped and planted out. The figures are impressive: 1.8 million bulbs, 5,000 rose bushes, 190,000 perennials, 3,000 trees, all spread over some 160 acres. The list goes on.

I hop onto a sleek electric cable car: from 80 feet above the ground, I watch workers scuttling about in reflective jackets, their bright yellows and oranges mirroring the banks of blooms that are just beginning to open. Most trees are not yet in leaf, and the geometric rose garden I can see below me won't really get going till the end of May, but I can see Floriade is going to be impressive.

Back down on the ground, I learn that Floriade is not only about flowers. Trees, herbs, and fruit and vegetables all get a good show. Local Limburg specialities of strawberries and asparagus have a section all to themselves, with an adjoining restaurant where you can tuck in to the fare.

There's a serious side too, with some pavilions devoted to green issues, future technology, and sustainability. I linger in a fascinating pavilion built around a beehive, where each of the creatures has been fitted with a tiny electronic chip to track their movements.

As with the London Olympics, the infrastructure, parks and gardens created for Floriade are recycled once it is over, for wider use. Past Floriade parks have become part of the national heritage – near where I live in Amsterdam, the enormous Amstel Park (the legacy of Floriade 1972) is, I think, one of the most beautiful in town.

In these tougher times, aims have been more pragmatic. Floriade 2012 will become a business park. As I walk about, I get the feeling that this has meant a shift in focus from park to pavilion. Permanent buildings on the site include a high-rise for offices and a large exhibition hall; there seems to be an awful lot of walkway and concrete – but then spring is not yet properly underway.

Once the trees are fully in leaf and those bulbs are blooming vigorously, when the roses emerge and the bushes of Mediterranean herbs are scenting the air, when the deft fingers of flower arrangers from around the world have put the finishing touches to their displays, Floriade 2012 is sure to wow the crowds.

• Rodney Bolt's full report on Floriade 2012 appears in the Discover section of The Sunday Telegraph this weekend.

Floriade essentials

The event runs from April 5 to October 7, just outside the Dutch city of Venlo. Open daily 10am-7pm. Adult day tickets cost €25 (£21). Seewww.floriade.nl