AWFS 2017 sees 17 percent growth in attendance
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LAS VEGAS - AWFS show organizers say the biennial 2017 event saw attendance increase 17 percent over the 2015 show.  Over 12,300 attendees were registered, with 18,457 total participants and 683 exhibiting companies. The show drew professionals from 67 countries. 
 
“This was the largest show our Association has hosted since 2007, in terms of both exhibit space and attendance," said Archie Thompson, AWFS president.  "In addition, our 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. 
 
"Just to put it in perspective as to how far our industry and this show has bounced back from 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," said Rob Howell, SMC sales manager and AWFS 2017 board member.  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 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.
 
AWFS 2017 kicked off Wednesday, July 19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas. Running through July 22, the industry’s top manufacturers and professionals exhibited the very latest woodworking equipment and technology.
 
An expanded show floor allowed attendees to see the latest in CNC machinery, edgebanding, hardware, panels, fasteners, software, and more. An Industry 4.0 showcase highlighted artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robotics, 3D printing, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things.

 

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Robert Dalheim

Robert Dalheim is an editor at the Woodworking Network. Along with publishing online news articles, he writes feature stories for the FDMC print publication. He can be reached at [email protected].