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Montreal Wood Convention draws record attendance

The Montreal Wood Convention (MWC) 2024 concluded with resounding success as it welcomed a record-breaking attendance of over 1150 participants and hosted 112 booths at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal from April 9 to 11, 2024.

In a statement, the organizers described the gathering as “the premier event for the wood industry in North America and the largest of its kind in Canada.”

The convention featured a series of seminars, discussions, and panel sessions with leading industry experts, with a highlight being the keynote speech by tech titan Michelle Romanov, who shared insights from her entrepreneurial journey applicable to the wood industry and beyond. Additionally, Benjamin Tal’s perspectives on the economy garnered significant interest among participants.

Sven Gustavsson, the event director, expressed satisfaction with the convention’s success, emphasizing its role in bringing the wood industry together. “The event was a success because we were again able to bring the wood industry together,” he remarked. “The networking opportunities, along with the learning sessions with our great set of speakers, provide participants a value-added experience.”

Julie Gravel, an organizing committee member and North American commodities sales manager at GreenFirst Forest, underscored the convention’s significance as a vital hub for all stakeholders in the wood industry. “The event is important to learn about not only your specified field of work, but also to learn about the new trends along the whole wood industry chain,” she stated. “We are all interconnected, and the MWC reflects that reality in a way other events cannot replicate.”

The importance of the MWC parallels the significance of the forest industry for the Canadian economy, contributing over $20 billion to the GDP and supporting over 200,000 direct jobs, said Alex Fortin, MWC communication advisor.

Originally stemming from the Canadian Lumbermen’s Association (CLA) Convention in 1908, the MWC was revitalized in 2013 by four industry associations in Eastern Canada, marking its evolution into the influential gathering it is today.