LANCASTER -- Lancaster County, Pennsylvania is famously known as the home to numerous woodworking businesses, from very small artisan shops to some of the largest companies in the industry. On October 17-18, woodworkers from Lancaster County and beyond will descend upon the Warehouse at the Nook for the 3rd edition of Wood Pro Expo Lancaster. Attendees will be treated to complimentary keynotes at the start of each day.
Keynotes kick off each day
Keynote presentations by FDMC’s Will Sampson and Dr. Eugene Wengert, A.K.A. the Wood Doctor, will kick off each morning of the two-day event. “The free keynotes each morning have proven to be very popular with our early bird attendees,” said Lewis Goldman, WPE Lancaster Show Manager. The keynotes kick off at 8 a.m. and the expo opens at 9 a.m. Keynote attendees will be served coffee and donuts.
Sampson’s keynote on October 17, Path to Professionalism, is aimed at woodworking businesses starting out or ones that still struggle from time to time. Sampson will discuss business practices, efficient production, effective marketing, and secrets some shops don’t learn for decades.
Popular presenter and FDMC editor, Will Sampson, will kick off the first day of Wood Pro Expo Lancaster on October 17 at 8 a.m. with his keynote titled, Path to Professionalism.The Wood Doctor, Eugene Wengert, will launch Day 2 of Wood Pro Expo Lancaster with his keynote, The Wood Dr. is in. Is your business Blood Pressure too high? Get a prescription from the Wood Dr. on how to survive and do even better than before in spite of today’s wood availability, wood quality, economic conditions, employee issues, and more. His wide-ranging presentation will address the changes in the industry and what woodworkers can do about them.
Dr. Eugene Wengert, A.K.A The Wood Doctor, will headline Day 2 of Wood Pro Expo Lancaster with his keynote titled, The Wood Dr. is in.The two-day event is preceded again by the Cabinet Makers Association’s (CMA) popular plant tours. In addition, Wood Pro Expo Lancaster is collaborating with the CMA to provide educational sessions at the event on October 17. The first session, A systematic approach to comparing estimated to actual costs, will be presented by Ken Kumph, of Premier Builders in Georgetown, MA. Kumph will share his job costing strategies to assess profitability and aid in decision-making for pricing and managing future projects. If you are interested in learning how to control costs and optimize your spending, then this seminar is a must attend.
The second CMA session is titled, Running a one or two-man Shop: How to make it all work, presented by James Fox, Fox Woodworking in Phoenixville, PA. Fox will share tips from his own experience running a one (and sometimes two) man shop. Whether you are just starting out in the business or have been operating your shop for years, James will provide valuable insights to help you manage your workload. View WPE Lancaster educational programming.
Goldman said all arrows are pointing upwards as the fall event approaches. “We increased our exhibit space to 17,000 sq. ft. this year and we are now 70 percent sold out,” said Goldman. “Booth sales are moving forward nicely and we now have only 5,000 square feet left.”
Goldman emphasized that in addition to the local audience, the show attracts woodworkers from the entire Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region. “WPE Lancaster is the largest gathering produced for and targeted to the professional cabinetmaker, furniture, closet, and kitchen industries in the Mid-Atlantic region,” said Goldman.
Goldman said pre-registration is significantly ahead of last year. “We are well ahead of our pre-registration attendee numbers from a year ago and this is really exciting,” said Goldman.
While the majority of registrants for Wood Pro Expo Lancaster 2018 were from Pennsylvania, states such as Delaware, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and North Carolina were well represented. Goldman encouraged potential attendees to contact any one of the exhibitors to obtain free passes to the expo floor.
Running Machinery Program
Another highlight from 2018 that will be repeated again this year is the Running Machinery Program, in which exhibitors will provide educational demonstrations of key aspects of woodworking, finishing, and other processes. The program is aimed at giving participants a comprehensive understanding of the machines and systems on display. “Our Running Machine program is really taking shape,” said Goldman. “It's a free opportunity for attendees to not only see machines in action but also have technicians explain how everything works and how the equipment can help their businesses.”
For more information about WPE Lancaster and to register for both the CMA plant tours and Wood Pro Expo Lancaster visit woodproexpo.com.
For exhibitor information, contact Lewis Goldman at [email protected] or 800-969-2212.
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