E-Commerce/Social Media Workshops - Learn how to turn your website into a "lead machine" 

How to use your website (and social media) to get customers coming to you

This hands-on workshop will walk you through the steps you need to take -- and the things you need to know -- to make your website do what it's supposed to do -- produce sales! Come with your laptop and leave with a detailed plan that you will have already started to implement during the workshop! (If you don't use a laptop, come anyway, and we will walk you through the steps).

The truth about social media and online marketing

No matter what the nay sayers say, the truth is that social media and online marketing produce sales. Want to take the mystery out of social media? You will learn why and how to use SM "strictly for business" -- and how you can conduct a solid social media program in less than ten minutes a day.

Holzbau European Wood Building Technical Tour and Conference - December 2012

 

On the first weekend of December, a group of architects, builders and wood products manufacturers will board flights for Zurich. The participants will spend the next three days traveling through some of the most picturesque parts of Switzerland, Austria, and southern Germany, with their ultimate destination being Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a small city located at the foot of Germany's highest mountain, Zugspitze. The city hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics and is well-known both as a health spa and a premier winter sports destination. The group's interest in the town however is somewhat different - every year the venue plays host to the Holzbau Forum, Europe's largest international conference on wood building and design.

 

The Holzbau conference alone is sufficient reason to make the trip to Germany. Spanning three days, the event consistently attracts around 1,200 participants for presentations and discussions on emerging building technologies and best practices case studies. Always prominent on the agenda during the event is discussion of green building technologies and energy-efficient structures, driven by the stringent environmental legislation prevalent throughout the EU. The event is an excellent way for North Americans to gain insight into processes and technologies that are influencing building codes and design trends back here in Canada. (An English-language PDF of the conference program can be downloaded by visiting  http://www.forum-holzbau.com/ihf/garmisch_index.html and clicking on the British flag icon).

During the three days before their arrival in Garmisch, the group visits innovative production plants and exemplary timber architectural structures. This year's tour will visit innovative building products companies such as Schilliger Holz,  Blumer & Lehmann, Lignatur and Baufritz, as well as landmark timber structures such as Shigeru Ban's  Tamedia Office Building in Zurich and the 8-storey Life Cycle Tower in Dornbirn, Austria.

After the Holzbau conference, the group will travel to Munich, where they will have the option to visit a permanent exhibition of 55 homes that showcase different construction methods. A trip to Munich would not be complete without a visit to one of the city's famous beer halls. This recreational component will round out the tour on the night prior to the group's return trip to Canada.

Researchers at UBC initiated the Wood Construction and Design Tour back in 2001, and it has grown in popularity with each successive offering. A maximum participation limit of 20 people will be imposed this year to allow plant tours to be kept to a manageable size. The cost of hotels, transportation and the conference (including meals at the conference) are normally approximately $2,600, depending on the size of the group. Participants make their own flight arrangements and pay for their own meals during the pre-conference tour. If you are interested in taking part in the 2012 event, we recommend that you contact CAWP early at  cawp@cawp.ubc.ca 

Jim Ivanoff   

All of the companies who just exhibited at the 2012 Global Buyers Mission were able to experience the level of enthusiasm Chinese buyers have for Canadian wood products. BC Wood is now organizing another opportunity for members to target the Chinese market through the China International Exhibition on the Housing Industry (CIEHI).

Last September, BC Wood participated for the first time in the CIEHI. The show was very well attended and the participating companies reported some very good leads from Chinese builders, developers, and architects. A main theme of the show was green and energy efficient building with wood construction and building products featured prominently throughout the show. A number of foreign log-home and panelized house manufacturers were promoting their products, in particular a large number of Russian log home builders. To maximize profile and traffic, BC Wood located its' display area within the Canada Wood booth partnering with the Coast Forest Products Association and Council of Forest Industries.

BC Wood will be returning to the CIEHI show in Beijing this coming November 21st - 23rd. From our previous experience at this show, we expect that the best opportunities for new contacts and increased exposure in the marketplace will be achieved by manufacturers of prefabricated homes, log and timber frame structures, engineered wood products, WRC lumber decking and siding, and construction lumber.

For more information or to register, please contact Jim Ivanoff at ivanoff@canadawood.jp.  

Dave Farley 

A few comments, suggestions, and ideas that may be of interest to Industry...

A while back, I wrote about potential opportunities for wood products in the booming energy sector of North Dakota. This part of the world is in desperate need of residential housing to meet the demand from workers moving to the region to find high paying jobs in the oil and gas industry. While opportunity exists in the residential market, there is also good potential in the commercial and industrial sectors as well.

As discussed, the epicenter of the gas boom is found in the northwest corner of the State sandwiched between the State of Montana and the province of Saskatchewan. The cities of Williston and Minot are the two major population centers in the region and city officials estimate that there is an immediate need of 3,500 homes, 1,200 apartments, and 2,000 hotel rooms to handle the 30,000 plus workers who have recently migrated to the area.

In the dustbowl city of Williston, I counted eight new hotel projects that were currently under construction (image above). In the larger city of Minot, six hotels are under construction with another fifteen proposed. These projects are usually five to six story wood frame buildings consisting of between 80 to 100 rooms, many designed with kitchenettes. If you are familiar with the 'Holiday Inn Express' hotels, then you have a fairly good idea of what these hotels look like. As with the residential sector, most of the hotels and extended stay apartments are being built by developers from outside of the State. It is common to see licence plates from Minnesota, California, and Nevada on the trucks and trailers circling the projects. In discussion with builders, there is a need for quality lumber, heavy timbers, prebuilt panels, and other construction products if the costs are in line with what they are currently paying. Also, there is a need for cabinetry, millwork, and other finished products on these projects. Members including Woodtone have had some success supplying materials on these projects.

Other industrial applications for wood products in this region include the supply of heavy timber for shoring and industrial mats. One company that I visited, Quality Mat Company, is doing significant business in the oil patch. They manufacture and supply wood industrial mats, used to reinforce the ground in and around gas wells and pipelines where heavy equipment tears the ground up after rains and adverse weather. Quality Mat uses primarily hardwood species including Oak and Hickory in the production of their mats; however, they are limited to a maximum length of 16 ft. In discussions with the production manager, Douglas Fir could be used to supply mats in longer lengths where they are currently using steel. At their site just outside Minot, Quality Mat has over 5,000 heavy timber mats in stock and according to the site manager, business is very good.

Other potential industrial applications include heavy timber used to shore up drill sites and the use of Cross Laminated Timbers (CLT) in the manufacture of onsite industrial warehousing, water storage, and fracking tanks.  

We are currently exploring the potential of organizing a trade event in the North Dakota region for member companies to take advantage of the potential in the oil and gas sectors. If you are interested or for more information on this market or any other market in the US, please contact me at dfarley@bcwood.com.

  New apartments being constructed 

Jim Ivanoff

For the past several years, BC Wood has been promoting design related products in Japan, such as furniture and millwork. We have been successful in having these products specified into several high-profile projects. Recently, even one of Japan's top department stores came to us as they were interested in using some pieces in a display.

Isetan's flagship Shinjuku store attracts wealthy, fashion conscious shoppers from across Kanto. The Canadian Embassy in Tokyo has worked with them to promote Canadian apparel and recommended BC Wood when Isetan was looking to create a stylish, 'woody' atmosphere to launch a new line of clothing.

We introduced them to a variety of furniture pieces as well as millwork options, but the store's designers knew they had found exactly what they were looking for once they saw Brent Comber's work and the WRCLA published Cedar Book. Using selected pieces from Brent as well as a selection of WRC products, Isetan was able to create a sophisticated yet 'woody' display. The store felt that their customers really enjoyed the warmth of the Canadian wood products. Hopefully this will encourage some of their clients to consider using Canadian materials for their own homes in the near future.

As always, BC Wood greatly appreciates all of the support given to us by the Canadian Embassy. We look forward to more such collaborative efforts in the future.