Britain’s biggest building products show, Interbuild is about to kick off.

Whether it’s construction systems, windows, cladding, flooring, solar panels or even a cordless drill, the event at Birmingham NEC (October 28-November 1) has established itself as the central focus for builders, architects and specifiers looking for materials and services.

Organiser Emap has just confirmed that Interbuild will now become an annual event, a move which it says has been made possible by other successful changes to the show format since it acquired the event in 2004.

“Following our return of the event to its traditional autumn dates, a restored focus on the professional builder and significant investment in marketing initiatives to support the show, we have seen a very encouraging response from the trade,” said James Gower, who has been appointed event director from 2008.

“All of these actions have been popular with visitors and exhibitors alike and now, it seems, the industry wants more.”

Gower explained that product launches were becoming far more frequent, with 96% of the construction product and service sector now promoting new products at least annually. He said a key driver in this trend was changing legislation and regulation.

Research conducted by the organiser shows that a third of buyers already believed Interbuild happened every year.

“As the UK’s longest-running building exhibition – with a strong national and international reputation – we’re operating from a position of strength and the latest show stats speak for themselves.”

Stand space is 93% sold out, with more than 800 exhibitor companies confirmed. The TRADA-sponsored Timber Zone (see next page) has sold out and been expanded into an adjacent area where some timber-related companies had already booked spots.

Glulam specialist Lilleheden at last year's show

“Encouraging sales led us to believe that this year’s show would be a success from the start,” said current event director Gordon Thomas. “Now, with just weeks to go, I’m delighted to report that this is indeed the case and we’re fast nearing capacity. The Timber Zone, in particular, has had tremendous pick-up and we value TRADA’s ongoing support.”

Timber company exhibitor EcoChoice is approaching this year’s Interbuild with more focus. “Last year we used Interbuild to launch our company into the UK market,” said EcoChoice director Mike Bekin. “The expectation was to get feedback, contacts and direction from the market since it’s the biggest trade show for the construction industry. We had lots of leads, but only a few were really fruitful.

“This year we’re approaching the show with more focus. We’ll showcase our innovative cladding and decking solutions and hope to generate some business quicker.”

Fraser Steele, managing director of Glenalmond Timber, said the company rebooked this year because of the Timber Zone. “The quality of the leads were excellent and being close to the TRADA seminars meant that visitors to our stand already had a good understanding of structural timber and related products.

“The Timber Zone really focuses the attention on timber and in an exhibition as big as Interbuild, it’s the only way smaller companies like ourselves don’t get lost in the crowd.”

More than 60 companies are booked in the Timber Zone, an increase of 50% on last year’s event.

Other features of Interbuild 2007, which has moved to the NEC’s three largest halls 3/3a, 4 and 5, including Offsite Solutions, a Flooring Zone and an Architecture Pavilion. For more details see www.interbuild.com.

Timber Zone hits the spot

TRADA marketing manager Karen Tipping reviews the raison d’être for Interbuild’s Timber Zone and the role TRADA will play in this year’s show

Even before the 2006 show ended, virtually all the exhibitors in the Timber Zone had applied for space in 2007. All were in agreement that they were going away with a healthy list of genuine enquiries to follow up. Being placed in the Timber Zone was a definite benefit.

TRADA played a key role in developing the Timber Zone, working closely with organisers Emap and promoting the idea of a dedicated area within Interbuild specifically for timber products.

And the ABC-audited audience figures speak for themselves: of the 44,436 visitors who attended in 2006, 11,462 were interested in timber-related products. The post-event survey showed, too, that 85% of visitors to the Timber Zone rated the experience ‘useful’.

The seminar programme organised by TRADA was a definite attraction and more than 600 visitors attended over the five days. This year we are repeating that successful formula, but with a bigger seminar theatre.

TRADA's stand in the Timber Zone last year

The buzzwords this year are definitely “sustainable development” and we anticipate that the seminar presentations on the Code for Sustainable Homes will fill up faster than most, especially as the Code itself is already under review.

TRADA believes that the seminars on the code will be invaluable, not only for housebuilders and developers, but for timber suppliers who need to know what marketing opportunities it provides. Product ratings in the forthcoming revised edition of the Green Guide have changed, too, so that is another important area for suppliers and specifiers to understand.

Likewise, the 2012 Olympics offer distinct opportunities for the industry and the development of sports facilities for the Games and beyond is another golden opportunity for sectors of the industry. Today’s engineered timber solutions have immense architectural potential, achieving the large, clear spaces crucial to major sports events with a variety of spans and forms.

The talks for 2007 will all be delivered by TRADA experts, who will be on hand to answer questions and discuss their subject in more detail on the TRADA stand. To view the full programme, with details of dates and times, visit www.interbuild.com.

And new for 2007 will be guided tours around the Timber Zone by TRADA.

Events like Interbuild enable us to communicate in person with existing and potential members, but more importantly with potential users and specifiers for timber and wood products. We anticipate a busy week!