Photos: Woodworking
AWFS Fair delivered a bigger, better show.
AWFSFair 2017 attendance increased over 2015 as the show hosted 12,306 registered attendees (a 17% increase) and 18,457 total participants including 683 exhibiting companies occupying the entirety of the central hall and drawing industry professionals from 67 nations around the world.
“This was the largest show our Association has hosted since 2007, in terms of both exhibit space and attendance,” said Archie Thompson, national sales manager for Spectrum Adhesives and AWFS president.
“In addition, our Association membership has continued to expand with 461 current members, the highest total that I can remember since I have been an AWFS volunteer since 2000.
“Having a successful show will enable us to do more for our members, whether it be offering new programs or increasing our commitment toward industry education and workforce development or expanding our advocacy efforts on our industry’s behalf,” he added.
“In the end, a strong show is really a benefit to the entire industry and that is a great thing.”
2017 trade show chair and board member, Rob Howell, sales manager, SCM, also expressed his view on this year’s Fair.
“Going into this event, the numbers indicated that we were going to have a strong show and the AWFS board couldn’t be happier with the results. Just to put it in perspective as to how far our industry and this show has bounced back since the Great Recession, we sold more booth space during our four show days (for 2019) than we did over the course of 10 months following our 2009 Fair.
“That is a testament to the perseverance of the people that make up this industry and something we can all be proud of.”
By the end of the show, AWFS had already received 2019 booth commitments from nearly 150 exhibitors, which represented a record amount of onsite exhibitor booth sales for the second consecutive show in its history.
AWFS Fair will return to the Las Vegas Convention Center, July 17-20. 2019. Please check www.awfsfair.org for updates.
