STTC on show at Carrefour du Bois

The Sustainable Tropical Timber Coalition (STTC) will have a profile at the Carrefour International du Bois in Nantes (CIB), arguably Europe’s leading exclusively wood trade fair, with a number of STTC supporters exhibiting.

The exhibition, running from June 1-3, is expecting to attract more than 10,000 visitors and 550 exhibitors. At the last count these will include  STTC members and partners Interholco AG of Switzerland, Royal Boogaerdt Timber of the Netherlands, Rougier Sylvaco Panneaux and Rougier Afrique International of France, Vandecasteele of Belgium and French timber trade association, Le Commerce du Bois.

The CIB will give these companies significant international exposure as it   forecasts trends of recent years will continue, with more visitors from abroad in total and from a greater range of countries.

“At the last show in 2014, 22% of visitors came from outside France, and we’re confident of exceeding that this year,” said CIB International Marketing Director Sam Padden.  “And the proportion of exhibitors from abroad will be up as well, to around 35%.”

Ms Padden attributes the growing global popularity of the CIB down to a range of factors. But principal among them is the fact that it is focused on wood and wood products alone.

“That means visitors know they’re going to  have an undiluted timber experience, and exhibitors that they’re going to see existing and potential customers who are interested exclusively in wood,” she said.

The event includes a hall dedicated to use of wood in construction called Techniques & Solutions and also has a conference programme running across all three days.

There will also be a special Expo, ‘Timber in Living Spaces’, focused on wood in building and interiors.