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Telling your story for maximum impact and profit in the digital age is a daunting task if you don't have a clear objective and know how to use social media channels wisely. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google plus, Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest and Vine - how can you possibly keep up? For busy businesses who often don't have a marketing agency to delegate to, being smart with your time and budget matters. This one-day session will help you learn to select the best channels to connect with your target audience, how to use those channels effectively, how to manage your time, and forget the rest - guilt free because you're marketing smarter, not harder!

Locations & Dates:

Surrey - January 28, 2014

Victoria - TBA

Kelowna -TBA

To register or for more information, please contact Rumin Mann at 604-882-7100 or rmann@bcwood.com

Jonathan Christian is the Creator and Chief Strategist at We Make Stuff Happen, a unique BC based Consulting Consortium helping businesses and non-profits locally and internationally tell their story through digital networks. A recognized Social Media Thought Leader, Jonathan brings tremendous energy, experience and enthusiasm to his sessions. 

Jonathan has trained hundreds of local business how to "get and go Social" In many cases reducing existing marketing budgets but delivering a much higher ROI (Return on Investment) You'll learn that the real value of Social Media is ROR (Return on Relationship).

Mass timber construction was utilized to build a new facility for the manufacturing of mass-timber products.

Structurlam Products recently built a 10,000-square-foot addition to its Okanagan Falls factory. Cross-laminated timbers, glue-laminated wood arches and steel columns were used in the expansion, built to house the $1.5-million, Hundegger wood-cutting "robot."

When the Penticton-headquartered company, which manufactures heavy timber products, decided it needed a second addition to the original 50,000-square-foot facility, Structurlam's president, Bill Downing, figured that it better be built out of wood. A 10,000-square-foot addition, finished in 2011, featured steel as the dominant material. "I took lots of abuse for that," Downing said with a laugh.

This year's expansion, where 60 of the company's 150 employees work (another 90 work in Penticton and Oliver) was built to keep up with demand for the company's speciality products, which include glulam (glue-laminated timber), CrossLam (Structurlam has trademarked the name for cross-laminated timber) and solid sawn timbers.

"This has opened a whole new world for us," Downing said. "We're way more efficient."

The 190-foot long addition, with a 90-foot clear span and Gantry crane, will house the German-made Hundegger that can cut, drill and notch massive CrossLam panels within a millimetre in accuracy, far more precise than humanly possible, said Downing, who has a forestry degree from the University of B.C.

MEADOW LAKE, Saskatchewan, Canada - We are pleased to announce that Tolko Industries Limited has acquired full ownership of the Meadow Lake OSB mill in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan as per the terms and conditions as outlined in the original Limited Partnership contract signed in 2001.

"Tolko is anchored in small communities and nowhere is this more evident than in Meadow Lake," said Brad Thorlakson, CEO. "In 2001, we entered into partnership with the Government of Saskatchewan and a number of aboriginal stakeholders to build an oriented strand board (OSB) plant in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. The past 10 years, while filled with ups and downs in terms of the economy, has demonstrated the value and resiliency of the operation, our employees and the community. Today we are reaffirming our commitment to Meadow Lake and to OSB production and we're looking forward to realizing the full potential of our asset under the Tolko flag."

The idea behind successful marketing is to impart your desired message to your target audience and leave a lasting impression. The concept behind good trade show display design is the same: to be unique, memorable and leave attendees with a clear and lasting impression of your business, its products and how they can be used to improve the lives of your potential clients.

So, how do you make sure your trade show exhibit stands out from the crowd? Here are a few simple tips to help you design a trade show display that's uniquely yours.

Know Thyself

In order for your event presence to be representative of your business, it's important to incorporate your core values into the design. Whether you strive to create innovative products, or are a company that prides itself on exemplary customer service, be sure those values carry over into your overall marketing strategy. Your exhibit represents a valuable first impression to potential clients so it should be created to closely mirror the beliefs you hold dear.

Make It Feel Like Home

Burnaby based Haida Forest Products Ltd. specializes in manufacturing and distributing Western Red Cedar siding, paneling, and clear finish to North America, Europe, and Asia.

Established in 1951, the company was a pioneer in the development of kiln dried cedar siding and specialty products. Today, they produce over 100 different products under the Haida brand. These products include wavy edge siding, straight edge bevel siding, tongue and groove paneling, channel siding, log cabin siding, clear S4S and S1S2E finish, as well as products such as decking, posts, and specialty timbers. Of these, their flagship product is the Haida Skirl.

Haida Skirl siding is a sawn textured wavy edge siding. Kiln dried and produced from selected Western Red Cedar, each piece is carefully inspected. Knots are permi-fused where necessary to provide a 100% tight knot grade. Haida Skirl siding is individually machined to enhance its natural appearance. The deep texture and wavy edge of Haida Skirl makes a dramatic statement that enhances the street appeal of any home. Click here for more information on this product.

Haida has been committed to producing the highest quality Western Red Cedar products for over 62 years. All of their manufacturing and kiln drying is done on site to ensure consistent quality control. They follow the market trends and continually upgrade and add to their equipment with new technology. Critical to this goal are the people who work for Haida. Over half the manufacturing crew have worked for Haida for over 25 years. Over 80% of their salaried staff has more than 30 years of seniority.

For more information on Haida Forest Products, visit their website: www.haidaforest.com.  

Roy Manion  

As we enter the final month of 2013 (where has the time gone?), the program is active on two fronts, the Specifiers Program in BC where among other activities, we have 3 lunch & learn sessions scheduled over the next two weeks; and the Alberta and US Pacific Northwest Specifiers outreach programs.

As we continue these scheduled programs, we are actively working on proposals for the upcoming 2014 - 2015 fiscal year. A major part of this was meeting with industry representatives to solicit their input which is invaluable to planning our new fiscal years lineup of trade shows and activities.

Lunch & Learn Sessions:

As previously stated, we have 3 lunch & learn sessions scheduled over the next week including 2 on Thursday and Friday of this week and one on Wednesday of next week. That will be it until the New Year, as the middle of December signals the end of these types of activities until after Christmas. For all three sessions, I will be accompanied by industry representatives who will be giving educational seminars on their respective products. As stated in previous Wood Connections, we highly encourage industry's participation in this manner as it provides the Specifiers a clear and in-depth understanding of these specific products.

Alberta and Pacific Northwest Architect Seminars:

We are in the process of developing a significant data base of architects and designers in Alberta, Washington, and Oregon which is an absolute necessity as we will be contacting and inviting them to our sessions where we will be introducing key BC wood products. While final dates for the sessions have not been finalized, as all sessions need to be approved by the respective architect associations before we can send out invitations, we are targeting mid-February for the sessions in Pacific Northwest and March for the sessions in Alberta.  

As always, should you want more information on any aspects of the Specifiers Program including the associations we are now registered with and participation in the US and Alberta events for their respective architects, please let me know by contacting me at rmanion@bcwood.com.

BUILDEX Vancouver is one of Canada's largest tradeshows and conferences, welcoming over 13,500 Design, Construction, and Real Estate Management professionals each year. Over 600 exhibits and more than 50 educational seminars impacting three distinct professional markets, all under one roof:

• Interior designers and architects
• Property and real estate management
• Construction and renovation

BC Wood is coordinating member participation at the upcoming Buildex Vancouver on February 19th and 20th, 2014. This event is for decision makers in the construction industry and is targeted towards professionals who need to know what wood products are available and how they can be used.  

The Buildex Show will give you an opportunity to talk to key architects, engineers, and the municipal officials on commercial, industrial and residential projects.  

Who Should Participate?

Companies manufacturing finished building materials, pre-fabricated structures and engineered wood products for commercial and large multi-family residential construction projects would benefit by participating in the BC Wood Pavilion at the 2014 Vancouver BUILDEX Show.

Very limited space is still available so please contact us as soon as possible if you are interested in exhibiting at this cost-shared event. Call Randi or Roy at 604-882-7100 or email rwalker@bcwood.com or rmanion@bcwood.com.

Recently, much has been made of the emerging opportunities for BC's forest products in India. In collaboration with Forestry Innovation and Investment's office in Mumbai and the Canadian High Commission office in Delhi, BC Wood will coordinate a mission in February 2014 for Industry members to investigate opportunities for sales of forest products in the India marketplace. Industry members will be invited to participate in the INDIAWOOD trade fair in Bangalore, Feb 21-24th, and a 3 day mission in Bangalore and Delhi to meet with timber importers and tour the manufacturing facilities of end-users.

The INDIAWOOD trade fair is one of Asia's biggest sourcing platforms for the manufacturers of furniture, building materials and giftware as well as domestic architects and interior designers. This event is expected to attract around 600 exhibitors from more than 40 countries and approximately 40,000 visitors from all over the world. The exhibitors at the 2014 event include a significant representation from overseas companies & country pavilions from Germany, Italy, Malaysia, China, USA, Taiwan & Turkey.

INDIAWOOD will definitely bring together market leaders from the woodworking sector to participate in this unique international display. For more information on INDIAWOOD and the proposed mission, contact Brian Hawrysh at 604-882-7100 or by email at bhawrysh@bcwood.com.

BC Wood will be organizing a booth for members at the next Kyung Hyang Housing Fair to be held from February 19th to 23rd at Kintex near Seoul. Kyung Hyang is the largest and most international building products show held in South Korea. Exhibitors come from other parts of Asia as well as Europe and North America. A wide range of products are covered at the show including lumber, millwork, kitchens, furniture, and house packages. Therefore, this show is ideal for a large cross-section of BC Wood members interested in targeting professionals in the Korean construction industry. The Korean Wood Builders Council also exhibits ensuring that the Korean wood housing industry focuses on this show.

While a little far from central Seoul, Kintex is a large, world class facility that is home to most of Korea's major trade shows. Recently, many new facilities have been built around Intex including western style hotels that give exhibitors the option to stay nearby. Kintex is also close to Incheon International Airport, thus offering easy access for members coming from Canada.

On behalf of BC Wood members interested in attending the show, BC Wood's Korean representative, JC Lee, has been negotiating with the Kyung Hyang Housing Fair organizers. One proposal that has been tabled is an offer to cover some of our members' travel costs for the show. For more information on this and the show, please contact Jim Ivanoff at ivanoff@canadawood.jp

As the media has reported, Premier Christie Clark just wrapped up a 13 day trade mission to Asia with stops in China, Korea, and Japan. While the main focus this time was naturally LNG, forest industry people were also invited to the various events. Our very own Martha Sturdy was able to attend the Premier's "Friends of BC Reception" in Tokyo as it was right after the Living and Design Show. Premier Clark recognized Martha right away and the two enjoyed a long chat as many people waited in line to also meet the Premier. Martha and Premier Clark share a special connection as Martha's son Jordan Sturdy is a newly elected MLA in the Liberal caucus.  

After a very successful Japan Home and Building Show, we are now starting to prepare for the Nikkei Architectural and Construction Materials Show that will be held at Tokyo's Big Sight from March 4th through 7th, 2014. With the Japanese housing market being the strongest in many years, companies are  investing in new business development as shown by the fact that the Nikkei Show is already sold-out. Luckily with BC Wood's longstanding participation in the show, we have secured a pavilion in a prime location on behalf of our members.

The Nikkei Show is the largest show of its kind in Japan and sees over 250,000 industry professionals over the show's four days. The show attracts a great number of architects, but is also well attended by importers, distributors, and both residential and commercial builders. Therefore, the show is a good fit for producers of cabinetry, millwork, house packages including log and timberframe, as well as lumber and reman products. For more information, please e-mail me at ivanoff@canadawood.jp

From November 27th to 29th, BC Wood took part in the 5th annual Living and Design Show in Osaka, Japan. This show has grown from its humble beginnings quickly because the show producer, Toshiyuki Kita, has held firm to his vision for holding a leading-edge, design focused construction industry event that rivals those in Tokyo. We could feel the results of his efforts through both the high-quality products and displays at the show as well as the fact that leading designers and architects from Kyushu to Tokyo came through. As Tokyo Designer's Week has lost its focus on interior design, many people are looking for an alternative and this show in Osaka seems to be the best contender.

For the BC Wood pavilion, we recreated our successful model from the Japan Home Show in a smaller space. The simple black walls fit well with the show's overall chic feel and also lets our members display products in unique ways. The highlights included our recreation of the West Coast forest in WRC as well as a contemporary looking display for reclaimed wood.

Our design shows in Japan for many years have been strongly supported by Martha Sturdy and she was back with us again with a stunning booth telling her story of burnt cedar. Based on her presence at last year's Living and Design Show, Martha was also invited to participate in a special event at the Hankyu Department Store. Hankyu is the premier department store in the Kansai region so it was quite an honour for us to have one of our members at their main store. European brands and artists are frequently shown at Hankyu, but this was the first time for them to bring-in a Canadian.

Based on the quality contacts and inquiries we received at the show this year, we look forward to offering BC Wood members this opportunity again next year. While Tokyo is the main point of entry for most companies and products, the Kansai region is also a massive market with a GDP greater than Canada's. With a good venue to introduce BC Wood members at, we hope to generate more opportunities for our industry there.

BC Wood will return to Interzum Guangzhou from March 28th to April 1st 2014 giving members another opportunity to build and expand their businesses in the still growing Chinese market. This annual event covers every facet of wood furniture and building products manufacturing including both machinery and raw materials. It is said to be the largest woodworking show in Asia. Over 1,100 manufacturers and suppliers are expected to occupy the 130,000-square meter venue with 60,000 visitors expected.

Interzum has been attracting pavilions from Germany, the US, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Sweden, etc over the past ten years, covering a wide variety of both softwood and hardwood species. Due to the show's importance to the Chinese woodworking industry, buyers/ importers of all types of wood products visit. Therefore, this show will be of interest to members supplying a wide variety of softwood & hardwood lumber including for uses such as remanufacturing, concrete forming, as well as wood construction. For more information, please e-mail me at ivanoff@canadawood.jp.