The 17th Annual Global Buyers Mission was held January 25th – 29th, 2021 and welcomed 677 delegates from all over the world. We were extremely pleased with the efforts made by those buyers and suppliers that supported and participated in the 2021 Virtual Global Buyers Mission.

This year, we registered 268 pre-qualified buyers from Australia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Russian Federation, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. Some facts and comments:

  • 58% of responding Buyers said it was their first GBM.
  • 96% of Buyers who participated in a Social Table activity said it was a productive use of their time and 88% would participate in a similar feature in a future event.
  • 95% Indicated a high level of interest in learning more about BC’s value-added wood products.
  • 79% said the event increased the likelihood that they will purchase BC/Canadian wood products.
  • It was a great opportunity to meet many people on video, talk about the local market, and greet them after a long time. I would like to thank BC Wood executives and employees for their hard work.
  • It was first time experienced attend the virtual event, it was more than I expected.
  • I could find an interesting product because I tried this virtual event this time. There are many people who don’t like online events, but if they try once, they will find it useful.
  • The system was well built and the interpreters were very helpful. It was definitely a good opportunity to have real talks with Canadian suppliers.
  • Having the ability to interact 1-1 with manufacturers and mills was incredibly valuable. The virtual exhibitor platform was perhaps more effective than in-person events.

Canadian products on display by 51 manufacturers from across the country included timber frame structures, engineered wood products, treated lumber, reclaimed wood, cabinetry, building products and systems, prefabricated housing, Western Red Cedar products, and a variety of other value-added wood building products. Some facts and comments:

  • 68% of respondents have participated in more than 5 GBM’s and 15% were new to the event.
  • 79% of responding Exhibitors participated in a social table activity, 100% said it was a productive use of their time and 88% would participate in a similar feature in a future event.
  • 86% of Exhibitors were small to medium (SME) companies. 93% appreciated the ease of online registration and 100% said it was easy to access information once on the platform.
  • “The GBM is very important event for us. It is perfect platform for us to announce new product and services and keep the connection between existing clients face to face, and get introductions to new potential clients.”
  • “BC Wood’s team has done a fantastic job to adapt to the worlds situation and still bring international buyers to sellers. I have learned a lot from my brief interactions with the BC Wood team, and I am looking forward to more!”
  • “Overall, this was a great event. The backbone of the event was the effort by BC Wood in lining up the buyers with scheduled meetings, complete with interpretation service. “
  • “This was a great event to meet with new and existing customers/ contacts, from around the world. Very cost effective, could meet with people from many countries, good complement for in person convention “.

We also hosted 167 specifiers, our largest audience to date of North American architects, designers, contractors, developers, engineers and specifiers this year, to participate in our WoodTALKS™ program, held in conjunction with the GBM. This included 16 thirty-minute mini-seminars, delivered on the tradeshow floor at the participating exhibitors booths. Survey results for attendee’s interest in learning more about BC’s value-added wood products was 98.4%.

Many thanks must go to our funding Partners, who without their continued support, we would not be able to deliver this world class event: Natural Resources Canada Expanding Market Opportunities Program (EMO), Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd. (FII), Alberta Government and Global Affairs Canada (GAC). Our main Corporate Sponsors this year included Glandell Enterprises, Daizen Joinery and the Teal-Jones Group.­­­

Thanks must also go to the Federal Trade Commissioner Service and BC’s Trade & Investment Representatives from international markets. They came from Canada, China, Egypt, Germany, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Lebanon, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States. The virtual GBM event provided this unprecedented opportunity for both the trade officers and the participating Canadian manufacturers to meet and exchange information.

The GBM continues to be Canada’s best attended event dedicated to promoting value-added wood producers.