LAS VEGAS - The year's biggest woodworking show in North America, AWFS Fair 2015 opens July 22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Nearly sold out with over 500 exhibitors booked, the wood industry expo opens against a robustly recovering economy. Barometers for U.S. secondary wood manufacturing - home construction, existing home, remodeling, and consumer spending - ticked upward strongly as industry suppliers crate up machinery and supplies and ship them to the expo.

One indicator of the show's strength is the number of first-time AWFS 2015 exhibitors, number 128 as the the latest count on June 15 (open PDF list).  Marketing promotions supporting the show are also healthy, as industry suppliers drum up interest among their customers and prospects in a steady flow of advertising, e-mails, and web promotions.

Read More AWFS 2015 Exhibitor News

Much of the growing excitement around the show will focus on what presentations of new products might come to Las Vegas from the big German shows LIGNA and interzum - and there will be much of that. A good deal of LIGNA 2015 technology was focused around the theme of Industry 4.0 - the highly advanced strategy of fully integrating machinery and software. But the emphasis at AWFS Fair will be on immediate purchases of problem solving technology ready to go to work right now, as Industry 4.0 percolates further through the market. 

Education a Major Emphasis at AWFS Fair 2015

The 2015 AWFS Fair woodworking show offers a window into new technology through the SMART Seminars, each morning at 7:30 a.m. before the crowds arrive. It's early by Las Vegas standards, but a reasonable time for  woodworkers. 

SMART  is short for “Special Machinery and Relevant Technology.” These technical demonstrations cover technology or application trends that can be seen at multiple locations among the exhibitors. But the seminars give a high-level briefing on the overall trend in technology. Examples include Smart Manufacturing: Kitchen Cabinets, and Zero Edge for Every Shop, on Friday, July 24, both at 7:30 a.m.

Then there is the College of Woodworking Knowledge - nearly 50 paid sessions to learn how to run a more efficient, more profitable operation at AWFS Fair. The College of Woodworking Knowledge supplies solutions and best practices that are actionable, concrete takeaways to improve productivity, flexibility and product output. Sessions cover up-to-the-minute trends and attendee-requested topics. Learn more and register here for AWFS Fair CWWK.

Suppliers are releasing news about their exhibition plans continuously, apsoted right away at Woodworking Network's AWFS Fair news portal. Woodworking Network is a media partner for AWFS Fair 2015, producing the Show Directory, the Show Daily, and live videos from the floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center.