The 2023 Nikkei Architectural and Construction Materials Show was held as apart of Nikkei Messe from February 28thto March 3rd at Tokyo Big Sight. This has been the biggest construction industry trade show in Japan, covering everything from lumber to finished products, and as this was the first edition since 2019 that was held without restrictions, there were high expectations. Prior to COVID, this show welcomed over 200,000 visitors over its four days and with a total of 192,530 this year the attendance nearly matched those figures. Compared to 2022, the number of visitors increased by 77% and you could feel the great improvement in energy on the show floor. The number of exhibitors also increased so there more products for visitors to review.
This also marked the first time since 2019 that overseas exhibitors were able to participate directly as Japan’s borders only reopened in October of last year. As a result, BC Wood was able to welcome back members to our pavilion. We once again organized the Canadian pavilion, including booths for members as well as our Canada Wood partners. Throughout the show, our area was busy and our members were able to benefit from this great traffic with a lot of solid inquiries. Nikkei attracts large numbers of architects and designers working on commercial projects, so it was a great event to promote high value wood products and finishing materials.
With the tremendous turnout and response at Nikkei this time, we can say with certainty that in-market trade shows in Japan are back to their pre-COVID levels. As with the recent HoteRes Show, I am preparing a video report of this show so people can get a better idea of the scope of this event. Please watch for that in the next edition of Wood Connections. With another great show under-our-belts, we are now looking forward to an even bigger Canadian contingent for the fall’s Japan Home and Building Show.