Timber executives debate industry promotion

Leading marketing and timber industry executives shared their view of the future of generic and grass roots timber promotion at a round table debate at TRADA’s High Wycombe headquarters.

The event, sponsored by Timber Expo in conjunction with TTJ, set out to poll opinion on whether the UK timber industry is doing enough to promote itself and make the most of its environmental, aesthetic and performance potential.

Looking specifically at the inaugural Timber Expo, the consensus was that the key to the show fulfilling its promise and becoming a regular event was in attracting “the right visitors”, namely architects and specifiers.

“We have to be absolutely sure of the target audience and, for me, the decision-making group of architects, designers, specifiers and engineers is key to success,” said David Venables, European director of The American Hardwood Export Council. “It needs to be an event where they can network, rather than stand on the sidelines saying ‘this is just the timber industry’s big get together’.”

The round table participants were also updated on progress with Wood for Good by Jon Stevenson of Tayburn Ltd, the company which handles the marketing for the campaign.

Mr Stevenson said Timber Expo was being seen as “a milestone” for Wood for Good, which would unveil its new manifesto and website at the event.

He said that whereas historically the campaign had focused on timber’s environmental credentials – the Wood CO2ts Less initiative, for example – it would, in addition, concentrate on its economic and community benefits.

The frustration of limited funding for Wood for Good was echoed in the discussion of the Wood Awards, which this year are being held at Timber Expo.

This year’s competition attracted a record number of entries and David Venables urged more companies and organisations to back it in future. “As a commercial company I think you would see a very strong deliverable out of it through access to the projects and direct contact with the architects.”

Geoff Rhodes, marketing and business development director at Coillte Panel Products, said the time might be right to introduce “some form of levy system” to finance timber promotion. “I think we might be inching towards that time,” he said.

A full report on the round table will follow in a later issue of TTJ.