Timber Expo an undisputed success

Timber Expo 2011 has given way seamlessly to Timber Expo 2012. The inaugural event was an undisputed success but it was always intended to be the first of many. So while stands have been packed away, the groundwork is already being laid for next year.

And what a foundation we have to build on. This year’s numbers are impressive. More than 4,000 visitors – and 94% of those who responded to our survey would come again. Next year’s show is already 40% booked and will be 50% bigger than Timber Expo 2011. But there is so much more to timber than what we can package and measure. There is an emotional draw to the material, summed up succinctly by Martin Chambers of Shaylor Group, who said his visit to Timber Expo to take part in the Timber Buyers’ Forum was an “excellent use of a day”. The fact that the show was purely about timber is what made it special – an ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of new products.

We were confident that an exhibition purely about timber would have a place in today’s construction calendar. The products, the technology, the building solutions are in themselves impressive, but what a wealth of knowledge Timber Expo represents. By bringing the industry together, under one roof, we were aiming not to celebrate among ourselves – although we can be proud of what we collectively represent – but to appeal to those who may still be on the periphery of using timber, yet who are tempted by its potential for the built environment of the future.

In Touch with Timber conference speaker Clive Pople of Willmott Dixon said, ‘Timber has many design benefits. Aesthetically, timber will improve the look and feel of a building. Also, it’s thermally efficient. We have achieved amazing airtightness almost without trying.”

Even the converted may concede that timber can be a demanding taskmaster, but so many beautiful buildings, as explored by ITWT, underline that learning to use wood can be worthwhile. The full programme of technical seminars and tutorials, which attracted hundreds of delegates, gives confidence that the timber industry has expertise to share and the passion to change perceptions.

And that is our goal. While total numbers matched our expectations, next year we want to target more architects, more engineers, more specifiers and more contractors – and that is the marketing challenge we have pledged to fulfill.

What is truly exciting is that many of the big players in the market are already onside. We were overwhelmed by the reaction of the companies we approached to come to Coventry, as part of the Timber Buyers’ Forum, to meet exhibitors. Major contractors, according to Dr Rosi Fieldson of Simons Group, must be able to meet challenges head on. “We do need to tender to demonstrate best value and we must have alternatives if quality or supply should let us down. We therefore need a healthy, strong timber sector to provide that quality and to give us that choice.” Timber Expo 2012 will provide the platform to do just that.

Timber Expo 2012 will take place at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, on September 25 & 26.