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This year, we focused on strengthening our brand and amplifying our market impact through strategic marketing communication efforts. We dedicated significant energy to rebuilding relationships with corporate partners supporting the WoodWorks program and successfully relaunched a framework that aligns with our strategic priorities, delivering significant value to our partners. Additionally, we secured a three-year federal funding envelope supporting our Communications, Education and Market Development activities and created a comprehensive WoodWorks national operational plan with a focus on coordinating regional priorities and identify key areas for collaboration. We also instigated a centralized marketing communications model to enhance support in delivering our educational events and promote our initiatives in the marketplace. Furthermore, we modernized our communication tools, including the Wood Design and Building magazine and Awards program, positioning us for sustained growth and deeper market engagement.
As we continue to enhance our efforts, these changes have greatly impacted our deliverables, positioning us well to support the future of our organization.
Our efforts to expand our outreach to a more diversified audience, including developers and other industry stakeholders, have been remarkably successful. This achievement is the result of a well-orchestrated outreach strategy that leverages a variety of platforms. By employing targeted campaigns, social media engagement, and industry-specific events, we have broadened our reach and deepened our connections within the construction and development sectors. These initiatives have not only increased our visibility but also strengthened our relationships with key players in the industry, positioning us as a leading voice in sustainable construction.
Top of Section
In the fall of 2023 undertook a strategic rebranding of the WoodWorks program to better align with industry needs and market demands. The brand was launched in conjunction with the WoodWorks Summit in Vancouver. The simplified, modern design improves the accessibility of the brand and establishes an strong visual identity for the CWC’s WoodWorks program within a rapidly evolving marketplace. The revised brand narrative clearly positions WoodWorks as a Canadian Wood Council (CWC) resource program, addressing the previous misconception that they are two distinct organizations. This unified approach enhances our brand coherence and reinforces the synergy between WoodWorks and CWC, strengthening our overall market presence.
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The expansion of WoodWorks Innovation Network (WIN) in Canada was launched in 2023 in partnership with US WoodWorks, supported by Natural Resources Canada, facilitates collaboration among professionals involved or interested in wood design and construction. This online community provides a valuable platform for architects, engineers, developers, and other industry professionals to share knowledge and expertise. By enabling professionals to learn from each other's experiences, WIN fostered innovation and supported the broader adoption of sustainable wood construction practices. The network is a powerful educational tool for showcasing wood projects and building important connections that led to the successful development of wood buildings across Canada and beyond.
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In the interest of fiscal responsibility, and in direct response to evolving media consumption habits, the CWC began the process of transitioning the Wood Design & Building magazine to a modernized, interactive, digital-only publication in 2023. This shift to digital allows for the delivery of timely, engaging content in a more interactive format, enhancing value for subscribers and advertisers. The digital publication will continue to showcase excellence in wood design and construction, providing a platform for innovative projects and industry advancements. This transition helps us meet the needs of a modern audience while maintaining the magazine's role as a leading resource in the wood construction industry, ensuring it remains relevant and impactful. Our new digital publication will be fully integrated into the CWC content strategy and supported by a robust communications strategy. The inaugural edition of the digital magazine is to be released in the summer of 2024.
Digital Publication
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Throughout 2023, WoodWorks provided 2311 technical support interactions assisting the design and development of 546 projects across Canada and helping professionals successfully realize their wood designs. This support included guidance on building codes, standards, and innovative wood technologies. By offering expert advice and resources, WoodWorks enabled architects, engineers, and developers to utilize wood more effectively in their projects, contributing to the increased use of wood in construction. The program's technical support efforts were integral to advancing wood construction practices and promoting sustainable building methods, ensuring that wood remains a preferred material in modern construction.
Technical Support
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In 2023, the CWC strengthened its corporate and industry partnerships, enhancing collaboration and expanding opportunities for the wood industry. The WoodWorks program renewed its focus on engaging industry partners, with new partnership models developed to leverage technical expertise of industry experts and help them and deliver valuable information to our audiences. These partnerships were an important aspect of our educational outreach initiatives. Collaborative efforts helped drive the industry forward, fostering innovation and growth, and ensuring that CWC remained at the forefront of industry developments. Revenue from the corporate partnership program allowed CWC to increase its federal funding match, enhancing our financial stability and enabling us to further invest in our strategic initiatives.
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The inaugural WoodWorks Summit held in Vancouver in November 2023 was a key highlight of the year. This dynamic, multi-day event featured building tours, an industry roundtable, an exhibitor showcase, and various technical spotlights under the theme “Shaping the Future of Sustainable Construction”. The summit engaged 388 participants over the multi-day event, including industry leaders and stakeholders who convened to discuss and advance the future of sustainable construction. The event provided a valuable platform for sharing the latest developments in wood construction, reinforcing CWC's leadership in the industry, and highlighting the importance of innovation and collaboration in promoting the use of wood. We look forward to building on the successes and lessons learned at this event at WoodWorks Summit in Toronto October 21-25, 2024.
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In 2023, the CWC and WoodWorks hosted over 185 educational events and activities, including workshops, conferences, tours, and webinars. Notable events included the Wood Solutions Conferences in Calgary and Ottawa, and a specialized ‘Light Wood Frame’ Wood Solutions Conference in Toronto to address a specific market need in that region. Combined, these events provided valuable learning opportunities for professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sectors. Our webinar series was a very successful element of our outreach, reaching hundreds of practitioners with each webcast. By delivering both in-person and virtual training, CWC can expand its influence with educational initiatives that are essential to fostering a deeper understanding of wood's benefits and applications amongst a wider audience in order to increase practitioner capacity for wood design and construction and accelerate the adoption of sustainable wood construction to reduce the carbon footprint of our built environment.
Outreach
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Demonstration Program
The Mass Timber Fire Demonstration Program concluded its testing phase at the end of 2022, providing important new scientific data on the fire performance of mass timber. The resulting technical report and supporting educational outreach campaigns were delivered in 2023 to receptive audiences. This comprehensive project, led by CWC, delivered on expectations, and is already informing fire safety design, evaluation, and code development for tall and large mass timber buildings. The results of the program were communicated to key stakeholders across the industry including fire service professionals, building officials, government agencies and insurance sectors, in addition to AEC+D professionals. The data filled in some critical research gaps and is helping address key challenges and support the wider adoption of mass timber by validating its performance as a robust, fire resistant, and safe building material.
Top of Section
The WoodSmart education roadmap wrapped up its 5-year program this year, culminating with a national educators’ workshop in Ottawa in February attended by nearly 100 participants from across Canada. This program was a resounding success that resulted in 17 Universities adding wood-related programming to their course curricula. WoodSmart reaches an average of 2425 students per semester and, to date, 176 post-secondary educators have accessed WoodSmart materials for educational materials and instructional tools that support the delivery of wood education to future practitioners. Though program funding has now concluded, we are working with NRCan to build on this solid foundation to launch a second phase of WoodSmart in 2024.
WoodSmart
This year, we focused on strengthening our brand and amplifying our market impact through strategic marketing communication efforts. We dedicated significant energy to rebuilding relationships with corporate partners supporting the WoodWorks program and successfully relaunched a framework that aligns with our strategic priorities, delivering significant value to our partners. Additionally, we secured a three-year federal funding envelope supporting our Communications, Education and Market Development activities and created a comprehensive WoodWorks national operational plan with a focus on coordinating regional priorities and identify key areas for collaboration. We also instigated a centralized marketing communications model to enhance support in delivering our educational events and promote our initiatives in the marketplace. Furthermore, we modernized our communication tools, including the Wood Design and Building magazine and Awards program, positioning us for sustained growth and deeper market engagement.
As we continue to enhance our efforts, these changes have greatly impacted our deliverables, positioning us well to support the future of our organization.
Our efforts to expand our outreach to a more diversified audience, including developers and other industry stakeholders, have been remarkably successful. This achievement is the result of a well-orchestrated outreach strategy that leverages a variety of platforms. By employing targeted campaigns, social media engagement, and industry-specific events, we have broadened our reach and deepened our connections within the construction and development sectors. These initiatives have not only increased our visibility but also strengthened our relationships with key players in the industry, positioning us as a leading voice in sustainable construction.
In the fall of 2023 undertook a strategic rebranding of the WoodWorks program to better align with industry needs and market demands. The brand was launched in conjunction with the WoodWorks Summit in Vancouver. The simplified, modern design improves the accessibility of the brand and establishes an strong visual identity for the CWC’s WoodWorks program within a rapidly evolving marketplace. The revised brand narrative clearly positions WoodWorks as a Canadian Wood Council (CWC) resource program, addressing the previous misconception that they are two distinct organizations. This unified approach enhances our brand coherence and reinforces the synergy between WoodWorks and CWC, strengthening our overall market presence.
The expansion of WoodWorks Innovation Network (WIN) in Canada was launched in 2023 in partnership with US WoodWorks, supported by Natural Resources Canada, facilitates collaboration among professionals involved or interested in wood design and construction. This online community provides a valuable platform for architects, engineers, developers, and other industry professionals to share knowledge and expertise. By enabling professionals to learn from each other's experiences, WIN fostered innovation and supported the broader adoption of sustainable wood construction practices. The network is a powerful educational tool for showcasing wood projects and building important connections that led to the successful development of wood buildings across Canada and beyond.
In the interest of fiscal responsibility, and in direct response to evolving media consumption habits, the CWC began the process of transitioning the Wood Design & Building magazine to a modernized, interactive, digital-only publication in 2023. This shift to digital allows for the delivery of timely, engaging content in a more interactive format, enhancing value for subscribers and advertisers. The digital publication will continue to showcase excellence in wood design and construction, providing a platform for innovative projects and industry advancements. This transition helps us meet the needs of a modern audience while maintaining the magazine's role as a leading resource in the wood construction industry, ensuring it remains relevant and impactful. Our new digital publication will be fully integrated into the CWC content strategy and supported by a robust communications strategy. The inaugural edition of the digital magazine is to be released in the summer of 2024.
Digital Publication
Throughout 2023, WoodWorks provided 2311 technical support interactions assisting the design and development of 546 projects across Canada and helping professionals successfully realize their wood designs. This support included guidance on building codes, standards, and innovative wood technologies. By offering expert advice and resources, WoodWorks enabled architects, engineers, and developers to utilize wood more effectively in their projects, contributing to the increased use of wood in construction. The program's technical support efforts were integral to advancing wood construction practices and promoting sustainable building methods, ensuring that wood remains a preferred material in modern construction.
Technical Support
In 2023, the CWC strengthened its corporate and industry partnerships, enhancing collaboration and expanding opportunities for the wood industry. The WoodWorks program renewed its focus on engaging industry partners, with new partnership models developed to leverage technical expertise of industry experts and help them and deliver valuable information to our audiences. These partnerships were an important aspect of our educational outreach initiatives. Collaborative efforts helped drive the industry forward, fostering innovation and growth, and ensuring that CWC remained at the forefront of industry developments. Revenue from the corporate partnership program allowed CWC to increase its federal funding match, enhancing our financial stability and enabling us to further invest in our strategic initiatives.
The inaugural WoodWorks Summit held in Vancouver in November 2023 was a key highlight of the year. This dynamic, multi-day event featured building tours, an industry roundtable, an exhibitor showcase, and various technical spotlights under the theme “Shaping the Future of Sustainable Construction”. The summit engaged 388 participants over the multi-day event, including industry leaders and stakeholders who convened to discuss and advance the future of sustainable construction. The event provided a valuable platform for sharing the latest developments in wood construction, reinforcing CWC's leadership in the industry, and highlighting the importance of innovation and collaboration in promoting the use of wood. We look forward to building on the successes and lessons learned at this event at WoodWorks Summit in Toronto October 21-25, 2024.
In 2023, the CWC and WoodWorks hosted over 185 educational events and activities, including workshops, conferences, tours, and webinars. Notable events included the Wood Solutions Conferences in Calgary and Ottawa, and a specialized ‘Light Wood Frame’ Wood Solutions Conference in Toronto to address a specific market need in that region. Combined, these events provided valuable learning opportunities for professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sectors. Our webinar series was a very successful element of our outreach, reaching hundreds of practitioners with each webcast. By delivering both in-person and virtual training, CWC can expand its influence with educational initiatives that are essential to fostering a deeper understanding of wood's benefits and applications amongst a wider audience in order to increase practitioner capacity for wood design and construction and accelerate the adoption of sustainable wood construction to reduce the carbon footprint of our built environment.
Outreach
The Mass Timber Fire Demonstration Program concluded its testing phase at the end of 2022, providing important new scientific data on the fire performance of mass timber. The resulting technical report and supporting educational outreach campaigns were delivered in 2023 to receptive audiences. This comprehensive project, led by CWC, delivered on expectations, and is already informing fire safety design, evaluation, and code development for tall and large mass timber buildings. The results of the program were communicated to key stakeholders across the industry including fire service professionals, building officials, government agencies and insurance sectors, in addition to AEC+D professionals. The data filled in some critical research gaps and is helping address key challenges and support the wider adoption of mass timber by validating its performance as a robust, fire resistant, and safe building material.
Demonstration Program
The WoodSmart education roadmap wrapped up its 5-year program this year, culminating with a national educators’ workshop in Ottawa in February attended by nearly 100 participants from across Canada. This program was a resounding success that resulted in 17 Universities adding wood-related programming to their course curricula. WoodSmart reaches an average of 2425 students per semester and, to date, 176 post-secondary educators have accessed WoodSmart materials for educational materials and instructional tools that support the delivery of wood education to future practitioners. Though program funding has now concluded, we are working with NRCan to build on this solid foundation to launch a second phase of WoodSmart in 2024.
WoodSmart