Walking the floor at the HD Expo in Las Vegas
A few comments, suggestions, and ideas that may be of interest…
I decided to try something a little different for this weeks’ article in the Wood Connections. In today’s fast paced world of social media, we are constantly bombarded with information; staying on top of what is going on in our industry can be tough. So to help out, I’m sending a market report direct from the source. So to help out, I’m sending a market report direct from the source.
I’m currently – as in right now – at the Hospitality Design Show (HD13) in stifling hot Las Vegas. I have been wandering around the show, meeting with exhibitors and attendees and sourcing out the latest in wood products design being showcased from manufacturers from across North America and Europe.
Here are some of the things that I heard and that caught my eye.
Wood continues to have a significant presence at the show. From Flooring to Wall Panelling, furniture to sculptures, wood is everywhere. A company out of Portugal was showing some innovative wall panels made from a variety of species, the most interesting being a stacked oak panel manufactured from reclaimed wine barrels. They have used this product in residential and commercial applications across North America.
A flooring supplier from Anaheim is showing engineered flooring manufactured from Reclaimed materials including rusted metal laminated to a plywood substrate. I thought this was an innovative use and representative of “mixed media’’ where materials are combined to create unique products. I have seen wood and resin, wood and glass, wood and metal, and enamel painted wood used on a variety of products throughout the show; this certainly can be considered a trend at this years’ HD show.
BC Wood member and manufacturer, Martha Sturdy is leading the way in mixed media, showcasing wood benches and sculptures that have been fire charred and stained black, creating a very unique and different look.
This is some of the market info that I have found so far and I still have over half the show to walk. In reading this, if anything interests you or you want to me to dig up some further intel, please send me an email to dfarley@bcwood.com or text me on my cell at 604 728 8786.
Below are images from the show. Now back to walking the show.
Above image: Wood furniture
Image above and below: Martha Sturdy’s booth featuring fire charred sculptures and benches
Above image: Wall panels made from wine barrels
Above image: Enamel painted outdoor furniture
Above image: Wood sculptures from Europe
Above image: Metal and plywood floor
Above image: Wood, resin, and LED lighted table
read moreSpotlight: MK Carving & Sculpting
I got the pleasure of meeting with Mori Kono, a Japanese-Canadian artist. He started as a log home builder after he moved to BC in 1994. Over the years, his passion for carving grew and it quickly became his main focus. In 2005, he established MK Carving & Sculpting in Abbotsford, BC. He creates custom wood carvings and sculptures including hand carved doors, carved mantel pieces, 3D free standing pieces, wall mounts, hardwood detailed carvings, classical architectural carvings, memorial carvings, and custom signs. He creates these custom pieces using all types of wood including local coastal and exotic woods.
Mori has a unique process in creating his pieces. He spends time connecting and learning about the client so he can incorporate their personality and characteristics into the piece. He also spends time researching about the project and discussing the meaning behind the project with the client so the appropriate emotions are conveyed.
Mori’s respect and passion for wood, positive energy, and unique style has landed him many awards including Canada Home Builders’ Association’s Best Creation of Unique Feature of Room Interior award for creating a wrap around staircase with a cougar post (image below).
For more information, visit www.mkono.net
A few comments, suggestions, and ideas that may be of interest…
Last week, I had the pleasure of driving across the great State of Texas, meeting with builders and distributors in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. The southeast corner of the State, along with Dallas, continues to be the economic engine of the region leading the US in construction activity. This is readily apparent as you drive into the city of Houston. The suburbs surrounding Houston are abuzz with construction activity with new subdivisions and multi-family housing developments sprouting up throughout the region. Housing starts in the greater Houston region are up 27% over 2011 with 23,480 homes either being built or are under construction for the 2012 year. When you add in multi-family building and a strong light commercial construction sector, you can really appreciate how busy the region is.
What’s the best way to take advantage of this activity? As always, getting your product in front of buyers and end users is the first step. Two key building product distributors in the State are McCoy’s Building Yard and Tomball Forest Products.
McCoy’s is a family owned building yard and supplier to the residential and light commercial construction industry. They have 80+ stores spread throughout the States of Texas and Arkansas and as such, are significant players in the building industry throughout the region.
Like McCoys, Tomball Forest Products is a family owned timber and building product supplier active throughout the southeast region of Texas. Tomball is a two step wholesaler, selling softwood and dimension lumber materials to building across Texas. Tomball specializes in Western Red Cedar and currently works with a number of BC mills and remanufacturers.
In conversations with buyers from both companies, a common theme was heard. They are both extremely busy and have had strong sales activity. In fact, both firms mentioned that the last quarter represented the best sales over the last five years. They are cautiously optimistic that construction activity in the Texas market will continue to develop.
Finally, the good news is that BC Wood members will have the opportunity to meet with these two key players in the Texas market as both are expected to send buyers to the GBM this September. If the Texas market is of interest, or if you want more information on this or other markets in the US, please contact me at dfarley@bcwood.com
read moreGlobal Buyers Mission Exhibit Registration Open
Welcome to the 10th anniversary of the Global Buyers Mission™ (GBM) – a three-day, invitation only networking/tradeshow event developed to bring together pre-qualified international buyers of wood products from around the world, with Canadian manufacturers of products that include finished materials, building supplies, and remanufacturing products.
The GBM continues to be the best business building event in Canada for wood products manufacturers interested in growing their export market opportunities – and developing new business relationships with architects, designers, developers, builder & contractors – and other exhibiting wood products companies. Response from our 2012 Exhibitors surveys indicated an estimated $48+ million in new business from attendance at the event.
To celebrate our 10th Anniversary, we are also putting on a little competition to see who can come up with the best booth design/display. This will be judged by a committee of your peers and international buyers, and the incentive is to win back the cost of one booth space! (That’s better than an ipad, right?!)
We are very pleased to be partnering once again with the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA) on the event, as they deliver their Cedar Summit program on the 4th and 5th. We will also draw the important architect / designer / contractor / builder decision makers with our popular Wood First program, which will run through the whole event. Last year, pre-qualified wood products buyers came from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Eastern Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
We will be back at the beautiful Whistler Conference Centre and have negotiated unbeatable hotel rates for our delegates in Whistler Village.
You will not want to miss this opportunity to showcase your products to over 250 pre-qualified international buyers plus North American specifiers!
Exhibit space is limited and will be available on a first-come / first-served basis. If you haven’t already registered, contact us for your online registration link at gbm@bcwood.com or call 604-882-7100. The link will include a floor plan showing the space and showroom layout for exhibitors.
In case you haven’t seen them yet, here are some links to a few short videos from last year’s event:
2012 Global Buyers Mission Video: http://youtu.be/75FB6QDMv1o
2012 Wood First Video: http://youtu.be/2oAK2n6Vf8U
2012 Global Buyers Mission Exhibitor Testimonials: http://youtu.be/C5j5u6ShUP8
2012 Global Buyers Mission Buyer Testimonials: http://youtu.be/c2Xwy8yRbio
BC Wood YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/BCWoodAssociation
Proposed Program Schedule
Thursday – September 5th
Association Business & In-Market Representatives Meetings
Evening Welcome Event at the spectacular Roundhouse Lodge at the Peak of Whistler Mountain for all participants
Friday – September 6th
Morning Networking/Tradeshow/Meetings
Afternoon WRCLA Sponsored Golf Tournament; Architects in-booth presentations; or Whistler free time
Gala Evening Event
Saturday – September 7th
Morning Networking/Tradeshow/Meetings
2013 Exhibitor Fees
BC Wood, WRCLA or Canadian Wood Products Association Member:
10 x 10 booth – $2,079 (includes 2 exhibiting participants)
Non-member:
10 x 10 booth – $3,129 (includes 2 exhibiting participants)
Each additional company participant: $400 / Spousal Program: $150 (includes 2 Evening events)
Exhibit Registration Includes:
- 2 full participants per booth space
- Basic electrical, pipe & drape, covered table & 2 chairs, carpet & Wi-Fi
- All meals during the event including the Thursday night Welcome Event at the Roundhouse Lodge & Friday evening Gala Event
- Full access to Thursday Association Programs
- Complete multi-lingual company listing in the Mission Program Guide
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like more information on the GBM or how it could benefit your company.
read moreSpotlight: mth woodworks
Design duo Michael Thomas Host and Tanja Hinder are the creative force behind mth woodworks, a local woodworking company based in Vancouver, BC. They combine salvaged Western Red Cedar tree stumps and birch branches with organic resin, creating one-of-a-kind furniture pieces that connect people with beautiful West Coast forests.
This success story started many years ago, when designer and builder Michael Host left his hometown of Vancouver, BC to pursue his passion – the design and construction of timeless furniture. His path led to places like Australia and New York where Michael became an accomplished furniture maker. His journey also brought him to Europe where he was inspired by the architecture and furniture designs. Michael spent many years studying and acquiring renowned and unique woodworking techniques.
Tanja Hinder, on the other hand, grew up in Switzerland. Fascinated by architecture and furniture design, Tanja soon found herself involved in many design-consulting projects. In 2001, she travelled to Vancouver where the paths of Michael and Tanja crossed for the first time. The rest as they say “is history!” Tanja eventually immigrated to Canada and become an aspiring furniture and interior designer.
Over the past year, they have been able to refine their construction techniques to enhance the longevity and durability of their designs. They also further developed their original concept in a new series of products that complement the organic shapes of their salvaged woods in a surprising way.
Today, mth woodworks’ mission is to connect people with BC’s beautiful surroundings by fusing together raw natural elements with organic resin.
“The inspiration for our designs comes from, well, EVERYWHERE. However, nature and travel definitely fuel our creative minds. To us, these are the most important ingredients for all our creations. Guided by clean lines and functionality, we are proud to offer “the bloom collection” and “the host collection” to a diverse clientele.”
For more information on mth woodworks, please visit: http://www.mthwoodworks.com/
Click below to watch a great video on how they salvage their wood:
If you can not see the video link above: click here
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In our last Wood Connections, being the first issue of BC Wood’s new fiscal year, we provided a summary of the events from the 2012 – 2013 fiscal year. For this issue, I will discuss what we have planned for the upcoming year.
To begin, we will become more involved with the various associations we are now connected with, including the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA), the Independent Contractors Business Association (ICBA), and the Architect Institute of BC (AIBC). Each of these associations has annual conferences which we will be participating at in whatever capacity that is available to us. For example, we have already booked exhibition space at two of these associations’ conferences, VRCA’s conference which will be held in Whistler at the end of May and at the AIBC’s conference in October. This will be the first time BC Wood will have participated in these events.
Regarding AIBC, one of the major reasons we are participating in their annual conference is that this year, for the first time, they are partnering with the American Institute of Architects – Northwest & Pacific Region. The conference takes place on October 23-26 at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. Aside from these specific events, we are also planning on the following:
- A minimum of 40 Lunch & Learn sessions for Architects, Interior Designers, Contractors, and Builders at their facilities
- Group seminars which will be held in offsite locations
- Factory tours and accompanying seminars for interested participants
The goal for all these activities is to continue to increase awareness of the great products we make in our Province to the aforementioned groups so they will ultimately specify and use BC manufactured value-added wood products.
Speaking of great products from our industry, I had the pleasure of visiting a project last week that made extensive use of a BC produced product, Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL). Although it has been around for a while, LVL’s BC production is in its early stages. Manufactured by Brisco Manufacturing in Brisco, BC (East Kootenays), this LVL has been used for columns, beams, walls, stairs, and a mezzanine floor. The architect who designed the project and specified the LVL is Michael Green. The project is still in its construction stages and is not expected to be completed until July. Even at this stage, one can clearly see the beauty of this wood product. I can hardly wait to see the project when it is completed and the product is fully finished.
*Picture above: LVL Column & Beams
*Picture below: LVL Mezzanine
Last week, I also attended a conference hosted by the International Wood Products Association out of Washington, DC. The conference was at the Westin Bayshore and was attended by representatives from USA and Canada. During the conference, at a panel discussion, another couple of great BC products were given homage, Cross Laminated Timbers and Silva Panels, with both being highly touted.
All in all, a pretty good week spotlighting some great BC produced products
All of these products and many others have been given a great deal of exposure to the Specifier Community through the Specifier Program. As we are just embarking on our new fiscal year, if your company has not yet participated in the Specifier Program it would be a great time to start. For further information, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com
*LVL Wall & Stairs
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Wood iPad cash registers are popping up all over, allowing small shop owners to use the latest technology in creative wood frames to ring up sales. Two companies, Happy Owl Studio and Tinkering Monkey, both create these next-generation wood registers.
The team at San Diego, CA-based Happy Owl studio, who self-describe as “Apple devotees,” launched their “cash register of the future” last year. The Cashbox, as it is called, is an all-in-one iPad point of sale system featuring a bamboo box handcrafted from Cali Bamboo plywood available in Flat Grain Amber, Flat Grain Natural and Marble Woven.
According to the company, each box is available with custom laser engraving. “A lot of people are getting lost in the surface-level beauty of the Cashbox,” said Devon Read, Happy Owl Studio CEO in a statement, “but the real beauty is under the hood. Payment processing with iPad is a game-changer.”
Click here to read the entire article
- Fully Hydraulic
- Will cut 50″ diameter log
- Power with 56HP Kabota Diesel Engine, 2500 hours
- 9HP Kohler Gas for log handling functions
- Mail deck 24′ cutting length with 10′ extension
- Hydraulic Log Loader (have more pictures)
- We sell Lenox thin kerf bandsaw blades welded to length
If you are interested, please contact Fred from F&B Saws at 604-826-1834 or fbsaws@hotmail.com
Are you joining the growing ranks of exhibitors who are being asked to take your trade show displays international? Ja? Si? Oui?
Let’s face it; exhibiting internationally is a daunting task. Trade shows are not easy to master, and with the added complexity of arranging your trade show booth in a different continent, language, time zone, and culture – well, it’s even harder.
But the opportunities are there, and your management is asking for you to make it happen. So here are 11 tips, provided by Senior Account Executive Leslie Hopkins and Project Manager Julie Comfort of Skyline Houston, and Director of Development Philip Foust of Skyline Exhibits and Events, who have traveled around the world with their clients:
- When exhibiting abroad, you need more of everything: more time, more money, and more planning.
- It may sound obvious, but take the time to research before you go – about the country, the city, the people, and the show regulations.
- Learn about cultural differences, which transfer to how local attendees do trade shows differently. What is considered polite and “politically correct” changes from country to country.
- Different cultures need different common phrases, even when you are communicating in English. When emailing outside of the United States, it’s better to write “can you please?” instead of “will you please…”
- You have to remain flexible, even more so than domestically.
Click here to read the entire article
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One of the most important things a woodworking facility can do is engage in housekeeping and fugitive dust control. If underlying surface colors are not readily discernible on your equipment, there could be a dust deflagration hazard.
Do not ignore the wood dust. Clean it up, but do not blow it off with an air gun as that simply releases and stratifies the dust – use a vacuum to collect it. Then investigate to determine the source of the dust. For example, if the ductwork is not airtight, seal joints to prevent the release of dust. When inspecting the workplace for dust accumulations, consider all flat surfaces including rectangular-shaped ductwork, overhead beams, lighting fixtures and areas such as hung or suspended ceilings.
Click here to read the entire article
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The announcement last month of the awarding of the contract to build a contemporary, 90-foot wood building in Prince George officially launches British Columbia into the race to build the world’s first wood skyscraper.
The six-storey Wood Innovation and Design Centre (WIDC) at the corners of George and 5th Avenue will be the tallest contemporary wood building in North America, and will rival the tallest examples anywhere in the world.
New seven, eight, nine and 10-storey buildings have arisen during the last five years in Sweden, Austria, Italy, London and Australia respectively.
These buildings, based on massive-timber-panels, have attracted the attention of innovative designers, progressive builders and environmentally responsible buyers.
Even at only six-storeys, the mezzanine and vaulted ceilings of the WIDC will make equivalent to about a nine-storey building according to architect Michael Green of Michael Green Architecture (MGA), who championed the winning design.
Click here to read the entire article
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How long has it been? The answer: 57 months or nearly five years. June 2008 was the last time U.S. monthly housing starts, seasonally adjusted and at an annual rate (SAAR), were higher than one million units.
March 2013 new home starts in the U.S. were 1.036 million units SAAR, according to a joint press release from the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In June 2008, they were 1.046 million units. Between then and now, they dropped as low as 478,000 units (less than half a million) in April 2009. They last “peaked” at 2.273 million units in January 2006…
The single-family segment of homebuilding accounted for 60% of all residential groundbreakings in the latest month, leaving the remaining 40% to multi-unit construction. The share more typically taken by single-family starts is 70% to 80%, with 20% to 30% being of the multi-unit variety.
Regionally, the strength to-date in 2013 has been mainly in the West, where average monthly starts are +63.6% versus the first quarter of last year, an increase of nearly two-thirds. The comparable figure for the South is +31.8% (almost one-third higher) while in the Northeast it is +26.9% and in the Midwest, +18.7%.
The monthly pattern in the South and West through the first three months of this year has been a steady progression of steps upward. In the Northeast and West, monthly starts have been more level.
Returning to the national scene, how significant is a “starts” figure of one million units?
It’s a huge psychological breakthrough. Far below that level, homebuilders are drowning. Slightly under a million, they’re still floundering. Above the one-million-unit threshold, residential contractors are breathing fresh air again.
Click here to read the entire article
Spotlight: Central Valley Cabinet & Doors
Central Valley Cabinet Doors, based in Abbotsford, BC, manufactures custom wood cabinet doors, distributes a line of Thermofoil doors, and re-faces existing cabinets. They have been supplying custom cabinet shops in the Fraser Valley with locally produced cabinet doors since 1994.
In 2008, they expanded by selling to the end user who wanted to replace their existing doors with new ones. Over the next few years, they began to sell and promote several products that helped streamline the re-facing process. Re-facing is a process of giving your kitchen a face-lift without having to rebuild the entire kitchen. The current layout stays the same; however, the cabinets get re-skinned, new doors are put on, new hinges and hardware are added, etc. to change the appearance of the original cabinets. The process is quite cost-effective and a popular choice amongst homeowners on a budget with a limited timeframe. Central Valley Cabinet Doors offers a few different solutions for re-facing such as Shaker White Thermofoil door. Watch this quick video on their re-facing solutions.
If you can not see the above video link, go to: http://www.centralvalleycabinetdoors.com/refacing-video.php
Central Valley Cabinet Doors has the ability to custom create what the customer specifies. They prefer to use locally sourced wood; however, they can import rare species and have a wide variety of material available according to the customer’s specifications.
For more information on Central Valley Cabinet Doors, visit www.centralvalleycabinetdoors.com
Specifier Program Update
We have another fiscal year behind us as April 1st marks the beginning of a new year for both BC Wood and the Specifiers Program.
Although we had a late start in 2012, the Program picked up considerable momentum beginning in October and continued quite a hectic pace through to March 31st, the end of our fiscal year. Although the major audience was the architect community, the program also experienced an expansion into the construction community with us joining and become active with the major construction associations in BC. As we look back, here are some of the highlights for the 2012 – 2013 year:
- We hosted almost 50 events, including lunch & learn sessions, group seminars, and tours.
- These events put us in front of over 800 architects and designers and their respective support staff, contractors, builders, and engineers.
- While Greater Vancouver is where the majority of events took place, we also held sessions for specifiers throughout the province including Victoria, Nanaimo, Squamish, Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon, and Penticton. We were accompanied by industry representatives who each provided educational seminars on their respective products.
- One of our last events of the year was our first group session for the Independent Construction Business Association (ICBA) (picture below). For this group, instead of a lunch & learn, we held a “breakfast & learn”. This worked quite well for the contractors as it ended at 9:00am, thereby, allowing those that attended to minimize the time from the jobsites. Five companies from industry participated in the session and each gave 15 minute educational presentations on their respective products to the group. Afterwards, most stayed behind for 30 minutes or so to answer questions on a one-on-one basis.
- We have a group session booked for Mid-May with the other major construction association, the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA).
- We held our first group seminar for the CHBA, Sea to Sky Chapter, up at Whistler.
- In total, 24 companies from Industry participated in the Specifiers Program in varying degrees.
- Throughout the year, we were contacted by several architect firms requesting seminars on specific products which we arranged for industry representatives to present on. This epitomizes one of the major benefits of the program; follow up sessions are where relationships are formed between specifiers and companies, which in turns greatly increases the company’s profile and chances of having products specified.
- We fielded numerous requests from specifiers looking for information on specific products or where to source them. In these cases, we put them in touch with the appropriate companies. If the products are available, having high quality, made in BC products used on BC projects is a win-win for both the specifier and industry. Certainly, the specifiers are now aware of this more than ever before.
All in all, this was a quite busy and successful year for the Specifiers Program. My next Wood Connections article will cover our planned activities for the coming year. In the meantime, should you want to participate in the program for the upcoming year, or simply want more information, please feel free to contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com or you can reach me by calling the BC Wood office.
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The past 7 years, working with clients in the trade show industry have allowed me to work with many different companies, industries, marketing teams and personalities. I’ve had the benefit of seeing some really great success and trade show strategy. And, I’ve also seen companies who have stumbled, because of mistakes that have been made in several different areas of the trade show strategy.
So, I’d like to share with you the 25 most common trade show exhibiting mistakes. You’ll see that they can all be filed into several different categories, like pre-show, at-show, post-show, logistics, strategy, exhibits, etc.
- Not planning ahead. Yes, we’re all really busy at the office with a lot of other things, but if you’re not planning for your trade show 12-9-6-3 months ahead, you’re setting yourself & company up for failure.
- Going Cheap. If you’re looking to save $5, $20, $200 here and there, you’re focusing on the price of things, rather than the investment. Those extra bucks for the nicer carpet, the extra plants or the better looking display will add to the experience of your attendees and set your company apart from others.
- No Pre-Show Marketing. If you don’t tell anyone that you’ll be at the show, how can you expect to have a lot of people stop by your booth space? No one has time to wander around these days. They’re coming prepared to see who they want to see. Give people a good reason to stop by your trade show booth space and invest in those e-mails, post cards & promos to intrigue their interest ahead of time.
- Bad Graphics. Have you ever seen a billboard on the highway with a bunch of copy? It’s hard to read, right? Same with trade show displays. Make sure your graphics quickly tell who you are, what you do and how you can help them.
- Failure to Follow-up on Leads. I know you’ve heard (from CEIR.org) that 79% of leads are not follow-up after a show. Shocking. Don’t be one of those companies. Create a closed-loop system, before you go to the show, to make sure no leads fall through the cracks.
Click here to read the entire article
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CLT has gained traction since 2000 in the emerging green building movement. Engineered wood products offer a strong combination of environmental performance and sustainability, design flexibility, cost-competitiveness and structural integrity.
This video provides thoughts and commentary from technical experts, manufacturers, architects and leaders in the building community regarding their experience with CLT.
If you can not see the video link above, please go to: http://youtu.be/rLqiwBL28v4
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Tolko Industries Ltd. received the top honour in the Natural Resources category at the 30th annual BC Exports Awards. The Natural Resources Award recognizes the company that has engaged in marketing, processing and primary production of natural resources.
The BC Export Awards were given out at a ceremony held in Vancouver in November, 2012. A total of 27 companies were finalists in nine sector award categories plus two individual awards: the Leadership Award and the International Business Studies Award. The BC Export Awards recognizes the innovative approaches and unique contributions of export companies in British Columbia across all sectors and in all regions.
“Tolko is committed to our international customers by providing quality products backed by excellence in customer service,” said Tolko’s vice president, Sales, Marketing & Logistics, Hardy Wentzel. “Our Export group appreciates the nod of recognition and will continue to build on the service expectations set by our customers and partners abroad.”
Responding to Tolko’s growth in the export market, John Langley, Tolko’s general manager, Export said, “We saw an opportunity in the overseas markets and we acted on it. Six years ago, just eight percent of Tolko’s structural wood products from our operations across Western Canada were heading overseas. In 2011, approximately 40 percent of these products went abroad and we continue to explore more opportunities.”
Tolko Industries Ltd. is a private, Canadian-owned forest products company based in Vernon, British Columbia with approximately 2,900 employees. Tolko is a major producer and marketer of lumber, veneer, plywood, oriented strand board, and kraft papers, with manufacturing operations across Western Canada. The Company’s Woodlands operations have received third-party certification of their sustainable forest management systems.
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“Top Ten” lists exist for everything from “What To Do On Vacation In France” to “10 Things Not To Wear To A Costume Party.” Dial in to what you need to run a successful trade show marketing program by reviewing this list of do’s and don’ts while exhibiting.
DO…
1. Set clear objectives for your trade show exhibiting opportunity. How do you define “success”?
2. Determine how you’re going to measure the ROI for your trade show event. How will you keep score?
3. Start the show marketing early with good pre-show promotion. Give the attendees a reason to make your trade show exhibit a destination at the show.
4. Train your booth staff. Equip them with the tools and techniques to perform well on the trade show floor.
5. Follow up with your prospects in a timely manner and implement a trade show lead management plan. The first one to follow up often wins the sale!
DON’T…
1. Just sign up for the trade show or marketing event out of habit. Make the show organizer sell you on why you should go again this year.
Click here to read the entire article
By Barbara Bell
A second challenge has been launched through FPInnovations’ online collaborative innovation platform, FPIntell LAB. This project is ‘The BioBuild Challenge‘, which will explore the use of novel wood-based bio-materials to produce next generation multi-functional building panels.It is open from February 21st until June 18th, 2013. The submission deadline is May 17th. There is $5,000 CDN in prizes.
For more information and to register go to www.fpintell.fpinnovations.ca, or contact Barbara Bell at Barbara.bell@fpinnovations.ca or 604-876-1169.
FPInnovations, Canada’s forest research centre, has created a collaborative, online innovation platform called the FPIntell LAB. The goal of this site is to bring technology, creativity, and experience together to solve issues related to wood product innovation. We believe by working together, we can create a stronger value-added sector for the good of our country and our environment.
A variety of collaborative projects related to innovation in wood will be hosted on the LAB. These projects may range from design contests, to co-creation events, to customer-focused research. Creative individuals with a collaborative spirit and an interest in wood are invited to join in.
The projects are structured to be flexible. No matter your participation level, you are sure to learn something new, stretch your creativity, and make valuable connections. In addition, there are cash prizes of $5,000 for each challenge.
With two projects underway – you still have a chance to get involved (see story below).
If you are intrigued by the concept of collaborative innovation, but aren’t able to participate, sign up for the Lab Community to be notified of future projects. You will only receive an email when a new project is started.
Your involvement with this Lab Community will help shape this important tool for strengthening the value-added wood sector. The concepts generated by these challenges will spark further Research and Development and ultimately help to work toward a renewable built environment.
For more information and to register visit www.fpintell.fpinnovations.ca, or contact Barbara Bell at Barbara.bell@fpinnovations.ca or 604 876 1169.
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