Timber iQ April - May 2020 // Issue: 49 | Page 10

EVENTS 10th Annual Wood Conference Review By Rory Macnamara Most encouraging to see at the 10th Annual Wood Conference was the student attendance, which augurs well for the future. Hats off to the Kuratle Group in celebrating the 10th anniversary of their sponsored conference that started very small and grew to hosting 850 delegates this year. Disciplines from all sectors of the building industry attended one of the most important conferences in sustainable construction. Most encouraging was the student attendance, which augurs well for the future. P rogramme director, Hannu Garny, who together with conference founder George Kuratle, ensured that the event ran smoothly. At the same time let us acknowledge the real workers behind this success, Zaida Davids and Silvia Furlan, who work tirelessly to pull such an event together (no mean feat when one considers the logistics of such an event). Acknowledgement also goes to Universal Plywoods, who were the co-sponsor of the event and official partner to the Kuratle Group. The conference saw a record number of 850 delegates this year. Roger Kuratle, CEO of the Kuratle Group, spoke about the need for faster change in terms of ecological building solutions. 8 APRIL / MAY 2020 // The aim of the conference is the exchange of ideas, information and inspiration on the topic of wood, and the programme line-up of timber experts offered delegates the opportunity to expand their knowledge and gain inspiration for wood and sustainable building solutions. Roger Kuratle, recently appointed CEO of the Kuratle Group, and son of founder George Kuratle, made mention of the need for faster change in terms of ecological building solutions and committed the Group to supporting the existing industry and to take it to the next level in terms of flexibility, availability and quality. He made the point that this has the potential to create jobs in a sector that supports the goal to reduce carbon monoxide. The Ambassador of Switzerland to South Africa, Dr Nicolas Brühl. The Ambassador of Switzerland to South Africa, Dr Nicolas Brühl, congratulated George Kuratle for the fine achievement of the 10th www.timberiq.co.za