Sell Out Crowd at Forestland Investment Forum

WWOTF 2008 009
Originally uploaded by World Forest Institute
For more photos click on the picture

Despite a slowing global economy and increasing competition from other venues hosting timberland investment conferences, WFI’s fourth “Who Will Own the Forest?” summit was better funded, better attended and more profitable than any other. It attracted an unprecedented number of sponsors and attendees. Sponsorships were up 50% from 2007, and registrations were up 25%. “Who Will Own the Forest” has become the largest single fundraising event at WFC.

Registrations for our conference on forestland investing had to be closed three weeks early due to the unexpected popularity of the event. The event was capped at 350 registrants (a new capacity-high for Miller Hall), which included 19 WFC directors. 28 speakers from various countries presented, including WFC directors Dennis Neilson, Bill Bradley, Vince Erasmus and Rick Smith. One WFI alumnus, Claudio Ortolan, of Klabin, also spoke. The event also received continuing education credit from the Oregon State Bar, Certified Public Accountants, and the Society of Forestry.

Sponsorship for the event was at an all-time high of 30 corporations and associations, illustrating the diverse industry support that is critical to puting on a high-class educational program that emphasized content and networking instead of sales pitches. That distinction seems to be well appreciated by attendees, who overwhelmingly rated our event as being better than competing forestland investment forums. We thank our sponsors for their generosity: American AgCredit, Banc of America Securities, The Campbell Group, Forest Capital Partners, Forest Investment Associates, Forestweb, The Forestland Group, Global Forest Partners, GMO Renewable Resources, Green Diamond Resource Company, GreenWood Resources, Hancock Timber Resource Group, Harry A. Merlo Foundation, Jeffrey M. Siegrist & Company, John Hancock Bond and Corporate Finance Group, MetLife Timberland Finance Group, Molpus Woodlands Group, Northwest Farm Credit Services, Olympic Resource Management, Port Blakely Tree Farms, Realty Marketing/Northwest, Resource Management Service, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, Starker Forests, Stimson Lumber, Stoel Rives, Sutherland, Timberland Investment Resources, US Bank, and Verrill Dana.

Proceedings are available for order from: http://wfi.worldforestrycenter.org/wwotf4/.
For more photos click on the conference pictures.