Timber Expo aims to inform and inspire

Summary
¦ Timber Expo takes place at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena in September 2011.
¦ It will cover 4,000m² with an option to expand to 6,000m².
¦ It aims to have at least 100 exhibitors and attract 5,000 visitors.
¦ Nearly 50 companies have booked or reserved space so far.
¦ TRADA’s In Touch with Timber Conference will form part of the show.

“If the timber industry can act together, it can achieve big things”.

That was the opening salvo from TRADA marketing manager Rupert Scott as he urged timber businesses to back the new Timber Expo show at its launch presentation last week.

The event, which attracted around 200 prospective exhibitors, took place at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena where the first Timber Expo will be held on September 27-28 next year.

The new exhibition is backed by TRADA Technology, with The American Hardwood Export Council recently announced as major sponsor and TTJ and sister title Timber & Sustainable Building as media partners.

Before the launch event, it also had 15 exhibitors booked, including Arch Timber Protection, Osmose Timber Technologies, Wiehag, PTG Treatments, Combilift, Gang Nail, A Proctor and North Yorkshire Timber. A further 11 companies had reserved space. The target is to have at least 100 stands.

“We see Timber Expo presenting a vision for timber in construction – and without a vision businesses perish,” Mr Scott told the audience. “But we need the industry to be engaged. It needs you to be with us and will only succeed if it’s a show for the industry, with the industry.”

TRADA chief executive Andrew Abbott said the show was needed to provide face-to-face contact between the timber supply chain and its customers across the building sector. “The aim is to provide a forum for easy knowledge transfer, to show the best the timber industry can offer; the products and services that can help bring building projects to life and persuade the sector to use timber more often,” he said.

Mr Scott said it was an anomaly that the UK timber industry had no dedicated showcase.

“Ecobuild is a good exhibition for us, but increasingly timber is just one of many products on show,” he said. “Many other countries have a specific timber event. France, a comparable economy, has its biennial show Carrefour International du Bois, which has 500 stands and attracts 10,000 visitors, while Greece, in the depths of recession, last year launched its own timber exhibition, which had 5,000 visitors. If they can do it, surely we can.”

Timber Expo is also aiming for 5,000 visitors from across the timber using and specifying sectors. To hit that target, said Mr Scott, it will need to be more than an “event where people walk up and down corridors putting product leaflets in a carrier bag”.

“We must have an event with breadth and depth that both informs and inspires the audience,” he said. “We need it to be a showcase for innovative products, from flooring, cladding and decking, to timber frame, SIPs, glulam, LVL, cross-laminated and timber protection products.”

Visitors, he added, would be offered tours of the show tailored to their requirements, so they could see cutting-edge products most relevant to their business.

An added visitor attraction will be TRADA’s annual In Touch With Timber Conference, which is being relocated to the Ricoh from its established London venue.

“The conference will be an integral component,” said Mr Scott, adding that TRADA aims to have some big name architects and engineers among the speakers.

The launch event included a tour of the Ricoh complex which, according to Timber Expo managing director Darren Richards, was selected for its modern facilities, central location and easy access by road and rail.

The exhibition has reserved 4,000m² of the Jaguar hall, with the option to stretch to 6,000m². Exhibitors will also have a wide choice of meeting and seminar rooms and the option of having an exhibit in a product showcase area.

The fully-finished stands, which range from 6-24/m², cost £300/m² – £20-30 less than the UK’s exhibition average, according to Mr Richards.

The price includes electrics, literature rack, lighting, wifi connection and refreshments for exhibitors throughout the show.

Timber Expo will provide marketing support to help exhibitors make the most of the event through the “How to exhibit” guide and an exhibitor “motivational” day in June. Additional support includes an online digital magazine giving show updates and an interactive website where exhibitors can book or reserve a stand, and update details of what they’ll be showing.

“We’re also offering a marketing booster pack to give exhibitors added profile and a range of sponsorship opportunities, from branding exhibition signage, to sponsoring shuttle buses from the station, or even a Timber Expo train service,” said Mr Richards.

Timber Expo is now forming an exhibitor steering group to help shape the event planning.

“The best industry events develop through working in conjunction with those who get the most out of them,” said Mr Abbott.

In response to another question, Mr Richards said that Timber Expo’s break even point was 60 exhibitors. By the close of the launch event another 23 companies had either booked or reserved space, taking the total to 49.