Wendy Trott: I’m quite new to the industry and it seems to me there’s not that much emphasis on the Wood Awards. It’s a small evening event, so where does it sit within the diary, how do you get people to go? It should be used more as a vehicle to promote wood but I don’t think it is where it needs to be.
David Venables: Sadly, a small number of organisations have underpinned it for too long and we’re not getting the spread of money we need. It nearly folded recently but, with huge support from the Carpenters’ Company and some new sponsors we’ve reinvented it on a shoestring budget. We get companies saying “we think we can give you £1,000, but we need some deliverables” and I just want to scream. As a commercial company you would see a very strong deliverable from supporting it through access to the projects and direct contact with architects. It also has huge marketing and PR value for anyone making a living from wood.
Bryan Crennell: All entries have photography and details of timber supply and that could be converted into Wood for Good website material.
Wendy Trott: In the masonry industry we used such events as customer events to maximise the commercial potential. That’s what’s probably missing. The Wood Awards is the right vehicle, I just don’t think the ceremony utilises their strength.
Rupert Scott: We’ve got double the number of entries this year. The event itself will also be at the Timber Expo show for the first time. We’ve got capacity for 250 and are asking every exhibitor to attend. Of course we want plenty of high profile contractors, engineers and architects, but the timber industry needs to be there too. It’s a celebration of great timber architecture and construction. We have to milk it.
Tony Miles: We don’t do enough case studies that explain why a project went well, that it was due to engagement along the supply chain from importer, to merchant, to end user, with everyone involved in the decision-making process on what to use, how to use it, how to fit it.
Mike Jeffree: Is there some way of building that chain into the Wood Awards, so architects know where to go?
David Venables: We’ve had architects saying they want to use American cherry because they’ve seen an article on a Wood Awards project. So we know it works. And it’s even more effective because it’s a measure of joinery performance and quality and crafts as the judges assess all of these aspects, not just design.
Wendy Trott: But I go back to what I said earlier, aren’t the Wood Awards missing a trick by not holding an event that suppliers can take customers to and pay to take tables?
David Venables: I agree, but you’ve got to get the credibility for it first. By showcasing in Coventry in front of the industry, I’m hoping people will see the potential and we’ll have a bigger, better event in the future.
Geoff Rhodes: The Wood Awards also use a wide variety of material – softwoods, hardwoods, wood-based panels and engineered timber – highlighting the breadth of solution choices available from our industry.
