"It has the space and facilities to complement the festival and will enable us to really showcase the event.
"There is so much going on at the village and we are looking forward to working with everyone there."
Artists and concept gardens will be at the hub and there will also be a music component to the festival.
"Anyone can come to the site and soak up the creative atmosphere. The site will be a place where everyone – including families with young children - can enjoy great entertainment, tasty food and beverages, exhibitions, workshops and displays."
Food and beverage stalls, performance and showcase areas, and concept gardens would add to the colour, excitement, and wide-spread appeal of the festival, Anderson said.
Historic Village team leader Blair Graham said it was a great opportunity for the village to be involved in such a "spectacular" event.
"We have been busy working towards creating a fit-for-purpose, vibrant and sustainable community destination, capable of hosting an array of events. It is rewarding to see that the work we are putting in to make the village an appealing community hub is also enabling us to attract unique and successful events like the festival," Graham said.
"We are particularly looking forward to the event utilising the revitalised village green and the adjacent event stage for the first time."
It will be Anderson's first time as director of the festival and he said the artists' talent, and the "passion, creativity and dedication" of the gardeners involved was "incredible".
"The 2018 festival team will be building on the wonderful legacy that many dedicated people before us have created.
"We will continue to develop the festival, so it maintains and enhances its nation-wide appeal. We wish to sincerely thank our artists for their participation – and of course our gardeners both past and present for welcoming our visitors to their gardens."
He said having the festival office on the site will be an added advantage, operating as a ticket distribution and information centre as well.
"We will operate from there on an ongoing basis from the beginning of this month. Come festival time, it means our office is right in the heart of things. It will be a fun time leading up to the festival too."
Anderson said artists were being co-ordinated and most gardeners had been informed of their selection.
"While we have reached our quota, we are still very happy to visit gardens that we may have missed. So, if any gardeners have wonderful gardens they would like to share, feel free to get in touch."
Bayleys Bay of Plenty/Waikato sponsorship manager Allison Stewart said aligning with the festival was a natural fit as it was a "wonderful and inspiring event" that showcased the best the district had to offer in terms of settings – beautiful gardens, and art too.
"So many wonderful people volunteer their time and talents and it is a privilege to be on board," Stewart said.