Exhibit sales are now underway for the province’s most important secondary woodworking event to be held October 27-29 in Drummondville.

DRUMMONDVILLE, Quebec – The organizers of Salon Industriel du Bois Ouvré (SIBO) have begun accepting exhibit space applications, buoyed by the welcomed news that Quebec is phasing out covid restrictions.

SIBO, historically the most important event for Quebec’s secondary wood products industry, is scheduled to take place Oct 27-29, 2022, at the Centrexpo Cogeco in Drummondville. The three-day show will provide an exclusive opportunity for manufacturers and distributors of woodworking machinery, tooling, software, cabinet hardware, lumber and board products, and much more to connect with manufacturers representing Quebec’s $8.2 billion wood products economy.

“Finally, Quebec will have an industrial woodworking show,” said Harry Urban, SIBO show manager. “We’re pleased that exhibit inquiries and sales have really started to pick up now that the apparent end of the pandemic is upon us.”

On Feb. 8, Quebec Premier François Legault announced that the province would begin gradually eliminating restrictions with the ultimate goal to completely open up all gathering places, including large convention centers like Centrexpo Cogeco, to full capacity on March 14. The reopening plan is premised on the continued decline of covid-related hospitalizations.

CCI Media, owners of SIBO and the Woodworking Machinery & Supply Conference & Expo (WMS), had planned to stage the first SIBO in more than a decade in April of 2020. The grave uncertainties created by the outbreak of covid in North America prompted the show to be canceled.

“While the pandemic has stymied in-person events around the globe for the past two years, it has not prevented the Quebec wood products industry from growing. Nor has it stopped the development of new technology, supplies, and materials," Urban said. "SIBO 2022 will serve as an important gathering place for industry suppliers to showcase three years’ worth of new product introductions.” 

SIBO 2022’s venue, the Centrexpo Cogeco, is a state-of-the-art exhibition and conference center that opened in 2014. The facility is centrally located between Montreal and Quebec at the crossroads of A 20 and A 55. It features free parking for more than 1,200 vehicles, including a handful of charging stations for electric cars.

In addition to the three-day exhibition, Urban said SIBO will feature a diverse educational curriculum focused on management and technology issues. “We are working closely with universities, trade associations, and other industry partners to present important topics like finishing advancements, workforce development, and implementing advanced technologies including Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence as it applies to the woodworking industry,” Urban said.

“Our goal is to provide Quebec’s wood product manufacturers, both large and small, with the latest products and information that will help them improve their operational efficiencies and increase their bottom lines,” Urban said. “In turn, SIBO 2022 will provide a valuable forum for industry suppliers to display and demonstrate their latest products to grow their business in the unique Quebec wood products market.”

Additional information about the SIBO 2022 educational program and attendee registration will be announced soon.

For more information about exhibit and sponsorship opportunities, contact Harry Urban.