Featuring the future

Nothing less than the future of timber will be on show at the Carrefour International du Bois exhibition (CIB) in France.

It’s a bold claim, but the organisers of the show in Nantes from June 2-4, stand by it.

A new feature of the biennial event will be a display of innovative timber products, some not yet launched. They’ve been selected by Nantes’ École Superieure du Bois timber technology college, Atlanbois regional timber association, which runs the show, and Synervia, an organisation which promotes industry/ academic research collaboration.

“Companies were invited to put forward latest product developments and 30 were chosen by the jury, from parquet flooring to wood-based panels,” said CIB international co-ordinator Sam Padden. “Only the most creative and ground-breaking were chosen – and we’re calling the display ‘Promenons nous dans les bois’ – ‘A walk in the woods’!”

Timber building

Nor will this be the only forward-looking feature of the CIB. The front cover of its conference programme is an artist’s impression of a striking new timber building. This is the new home Atlanbois will share with the regional forestry and furniture industry associations, due for completion in 2012. It’s another bold statement, this time of the optimism in the French timber industry and the CIB itself.

“We’re not out of the woods yet economically,” said Ms Padden. “But the feedback from the industry is that we’re on the way up and the market is improving. They’re looking to the CIB as the next step in the recovery; the event that really helps get things going again.”

This positive mood is underlined, she added, by the fact that the show will top the exhibitor total of 2008 with more than 500 stands and was fully booked three months before the event, held in Nantes’ La Beaujoire fair complex, opens its doors.

The CIB is also confident of topping the visitor numbers in 2008, when over 10,000 people attended.

100% timber

The show’s key attraction to visitors and exhibitors alike, say the organisers – and they bill it as “the leading trade show for timber professionals in Europe” – is the fact that it’s 100% wood. There are no associated products on display, purely solid softwood and hardwood, engineered wood products and sheet materials.

It’s this focus which sets CIB apart from other events, according to Genevieve Standaert of Belgian International Timber trader Vandecasteele, a long-standing CIB exhibitor. “It’s the only show I know with timber exhibitors only,” she said.

“It is a unique opportunity to gather in one place timber products suppliers and customers and particularly for us to promote wood as a certified sustainable material,” added Paul-Emmanuel Huet of French hardwood and plywood specialist Rougier.

Another section of the show adding to its overall appeal is the Timber Technology and Solutions area (Techniques & Solutions Bois). This was launched in 2006 to recognise the growing momentum of timber-based building in France and abroad and comprises a whole hall dedicated to timber-based construction products and systems.

The CIB remains primarily a shop window for the French timber sector – one of the biggest in Europe, especially in terms of hardwood – but over the years it has attracted increasing interest from abroad.

“It’s now an international forum and 24% of exhibitors are from outside France,” said Ms Padden.

International visitors

As well as drawing overseas exhibitors, the timber-centred approach of CIB is also proving increasingly attractive to visitors from outside France. In 2008 over 15% of the 10,000 total came from abroad, drawn from around 60 countries.

“We’re expecting customers from across Europe, especially the UK, to come and after a difficult 2009 to see the ‘end of the tunnel’,” said Florence Perrucaud of French oak, thermowood and scantlings producer Ducerf. “Business is picking up and it’s now time for customers to get in touch with European suppliers.

Ms Standaert agreed that international visitor numbers “make the show very interesting for exhibitors”.

“If you’re looking for new customers, or new suppliers, this is the place to be,” she said.

To make visiting French stands easier for non-French speakers, said Ms Padden, the exhibition ‘hosts and hostesses’ will help translate. And some companies have also recruited English-speaking students for the event from the École Superieure du Bois.

An added pull for exhibitors and visitors alike is undoubtedly the CIB’s venue. Nantes, which straddles the river Loire, has several times topped a French poll as the city with the best quality of life in France.

It has also become easier for overseas visitors to get to, particularly from the UK and Ireland. The TGV train service from Paris takes about two hours and direct flights operate from London City, Leeds, Nottingham, Dublin and Shannon airports. These can get you to the future of wood in as little as an hour.