The 6th Annual 2021 International Mass Timber Conference will be 100% virtual, March 30–April 1, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The move to virtual for the world’s largest mass timber event creates exciting, new opportunities for what is usually an in-person conference. A virtual platform should drive even greater global attendance—over 900 attendees from 15 countries are already registered—and provide for even more access to international content. Although 2021 will be virtual only, a hybrid in-person and virtual conference is expected in 2022 and beyond.

Considered the “timber architecture revolution,” mass timber office buildings, schools, and apartment complexes are rising rapidly around the world and the reason why so many attend the International Mass Timber Conference each year. Mass timber products are large, engineered panels and beams made of solid wood and used as structural elements in buildings (floors, walls, support), often replacing concrete and steel. Mass timber has many favorable qualities including fire and seismic resistance and offers a unique ability to address a large variety of societal challenges: climate change, affordable housing, forest health, rural jobs, and the urban disconnect from nature.

The Mass Timber Conference covers the latest information and innovative thinking on the entire supply chain for mass timber, from forest seedling to finished building. The event takes an in-depth look at mass timber products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT), nail-laminated timber, glulam beams, mass plywood panels, dowel-laminated timber, and laminated veneer lumber.

The 2021 conference will feature over 40 industry presenters, offering real-world information necessary for mass timber businesses and projects. A best-in-class keynote presentation from highly sought-after housing and construction research analyst, Ivy Zelman of Zelman & Associates, will provide insights into what 2021 brings for construction and demand and the impacts to the mass timber sector. In addition, Antony Wood, CEO of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, will discuss mass timber’s role in super skyscrapers and in the increasingly vertical cities of the future.

Registrants will be able to connect with the worldwide audience via the virtual platform and a mobile app. Virtual mass timber building tours will provide a unique opportunity to look inside innovative buildings from around the world. The event’s virtual exhibit hall will also give attendees access to over 100 exhibitors and offer one-on-one appointments and virtual booth presentations. In addition, registrants will each receive a complimentary PDF of the 2021 International Mass Timber Report ($469 value), a useful tool for proceeding with and selling mass timber projects with greater confidence.

A special 30% early bird discount is available on General attendee passes through February 3, 2021.

Attendees hail from around the world and include architects, engineers, builders, developers, academia, manufacturers, foresters, environmentalists, government officials, and more.

The Mass Timber Conference is produced by Forest Business Network in cooperation with the wood design experts at WoodWorks-Wood Products Council. The conference is supported by Premier Sponsors: Hexion, Swinerton Mass Timber, Katerra, and Kallesoe Machinery. Major Sponsors include: Think Wood, Freres Lumber Company MPP, D.R. Johnson Wood Innovations, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Seagate Mass Timber, Sansin, Hilti North America, Nordic Structures, Weyerhaeuser, Sterling, Oregon Forest Resources Institute, and USNR.