A vibrant provincial economy, the hot real estate market and a thriving construction industry have spurred unprecedented interest in this year's Buildex Vancouver, according to a spokesman for the exposition and conference for real estate managers, construction, architectural and interior design personnel.

"One of the things that is coming up in most discussions these days is 'B.C.'s Back'," says Mark Stephenson, western regional vice-president of MediaEdge Communications Inc., which produces the annual event and is expected to attract more than 10,000 participants to the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre Feb. 16 and 17.

"All our supporting companies, our exhibiting companies are doing very well. A lot of this is led by the economy but certainly the glow from the real estate market and the Olympics are elements that come into play."

Those were also factors in this year's presenting sponsor, Assa Abloy Group, deciding to become a major part of Buildex, says Stephenson. The multinational lock manufacturer and distributor, with head offices in Stockholm, is taking advantage of the fact that the economy is going well and has been kickstarted by the Olympics.

Assa Abloy marketing spokesperson LeAnn Schur says with everything that is happening in British Columbia, including the Olympics, "we felt that it was necessary that all of our lines have more exposure. A show like this really attracts our target market.

"The value of it is that we are such a large player in the international market, and we have such a large presence all over the world," Schur adds. "What we are really trying to do is gain exposure in the B.C. marketplace."

The exposition will have more than 550 exhibits while the conference will offer more than 80 seminars, says Dave Tyldesley, director of sales and marketing for MediaEdge. The seminars will address many issues important in the Vancouver region, including recurring issues such as mould and leaky condos. "Interestingly enough, those sessions sell out every year," Tyldesley notes.

Other seminars will deal with topics such as skill shortages in the construction industry, new technologies and green building issues. Three international roundtables focusing on architecture, engineering and interior design will feature experts talking about the challenges faced by their respective industries.

Stephenson says networking and education are key to Buildex, which is now attracting a wider general business audience. "We're opening the door a little bit wider because those types of people, those types of businesses want to learn how they can be more effective, offer greater service and ultimately run better businesses," he says.

Tom Gille of REAL Systems in San Francisco, who is well known for his presentations to real estate organizations over the past 25 years, is leading a seminar called Strategies To Win Business.

Gord Stewart, assistant vice-president of the Independent Contractors and Business Association of B.C. (ICBA), will be among the speakers addressing the issue of the shortage of skilled workers in the province. Stewart says this is one of the few events where the entire construction industry comes together.

Small Business and Economic Development Minister John Les is the scheduled speaker at the ICBA-sponsored breakfast on Feb. 16, the day after the provincial budget is tabled in Victoria.

Stewart said the "who's who" of the construction industry will be there, eager to hear about the impact on the construction industry and to receive an update on 2010 Olympics construction projects.

Buildex Vancouver runs concurrently with the British Columbia Construction Show, the Homebuilder & Renovator Expo and Design Northwest, and draws most of its participants from Greater Vancouver.

(Jan Mansfield can be reached at jan@businessedge.ca)