Surfaces Highlights 2012 - March 2012

By Darius Helm, Anne Harr and Jessica Chevalier

 

Many in the flooring industry were waiting for the second year of Surfaces at Mandalay Bay to see if the show would rise or flounder, and it turns out the show was a success. According to Hanley Wood, which owns and produces the show, attendance was up 10%, the biggest growth in attendance since 2008. 

Surfaces 2012 featured 546 exhibiting companies in close to 300,000 square feet of show floor. More than 130 companies exhibited at the show for the first time. Over 100 of the exhibitors were from foreign countries, and the international presence accounted for about 18% of total show participation.

This year there was little talk about whether it would be a growth year or flat or down. People didn’t have time for that. They were at the show with specific agendas and crowded schedules, and according to exhibitors, they were there to do business.

The atmosphere was busy but not loud, which may help explain why so many observers thought traffic was down or at best flat. The first day certainly seemed slow, but the momentum steadily grew, and the third day, traditionally a quiet day where all the exhibitors go around to look at their competitors’ booths, ended up busier than usual.

There were a few changes this year, like no opening session or leadership panel. And there were some missing exhibitors. Gone from the show floor were Pergo, Formica, Mullican, Somerset, Tarkett/Johnsonite, BR-111, Monticello, Roppe, Flexco, B Carpet, Milliken and Mohawk, which was at the show in 2011 representing its Wear-Dated brand. It will be interesting to see who comes back next year, now that the show exhibited growth and with signs that key parts of the economy may be showing some badly needed stability.

One of the biggest exhibitors, Mannington, was back on the show floor this year, and one of the fastest growing carpet companies, Engineered Floors, made its Surfaces debut this year now that it has acquired Dream Weaver. 

For the complete Surfaces wrap up, see the March 2012 issue of Floor Focus Magazine.

Copyright 2012 Floor Focus 


Other Archived Articles

Surfaces Group Director Teague Promoted to VP   Full Article
Dallas, TX, May 2, 2013 -- Hanley Wood Exhibitions has promoted Dana Teague to vice president.

Initial Jobless Claims Lowest in Over Five Years   Full Article
Washington, DC, May 2, 2013 -- Initial claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly dropped last week to the lowest level in more than five years, according to the Labor Department.

Planned Layoffs Decline in April   Full Article
Chicago, IL, May 2, 2013 -- Planned layoffs dropped 23% in April from March to their lowest level since December, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

Mortgage Applications Rise Last Week   Full Article
Washington, DC, May 2, 2013 -- Mortgage application volume rose 2% from the prior week as several interest rates declined, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Manufacturing Sector Barely Grows in April   Full Article
Tempe, AZ, May 2, 2013 -- Manufacturing in the U.S. barely grew in April as the rate of growth fell to the lowest pace since December, according to the ISM index.

Non-Farm Payrolls Rise 119,000 in April   Full Article
Roseland, NJ, May 2, 2013 -- Private sector employment increased by 119,000 jobs from March to April, according to the April ADP National Employment Report.

Construction Spending Falls in March, Up from 2012   Full Article
Washington, DC, May 2, 2012 -- Construction spending fell in March from February but was still higher than a year ago, according to the Commerce Department.

Engineered Floors Confirms Expansion   Full Article
Dalton, GA, May 1, 2013 -- Carpet manufacturer Engineered Floors is announcing expansion plans for new facilities in northwest Georgia.

Crossville To Offer TOTO's Hydrotect   Full Article
Crossville, Tennessee, May 1, 2013—Crossville will introduce Hydrotect as an optional treatment for most of its porcelain tile collections beginning in June 2013.

Home Prices See Fastest Rise in Seven Years   Full Article
New York, New York, May 1, 2013—Home prices are rising at the fastest rate in seven years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Dixie Group Q1 Revenue up 20%   Full Article
Chattanooga, Tennessee, May 1, 2013—For the first quarter of 2013, The Dixie Group had sales of $75,440,000 and income from continuing operations of $651,000, or $0.05 per diluted share.

H.B. Fuller Unveils New TEC Brand Image   Full Article
Aurora, Illinois, May 1, 2013—H.B. Fuller Construction Products unveiled its new TEC brand image at Coverings 2013.

CBC's Indelval Earns FloorScore Certification   Full Article
Commack, New York, May 1, 2013—CBC Flooring’s Indelval rubber flooring brand earned FloorScore certification.

Chicago Area Manufacturing Contracts in April   Full Article
Chicago, IL, April 30, 2013 -- Manufacturing in the Chicago area slumped 49.0 in April, down from 52.4 in March.

Consumer Confidence Surges in April   Full Article
New York, NY, April 30, 2013 -- Consumer confidence climbed more than expected in April, according to the Conference Board.

Home Prices Rise Over 9% in Last Year   Full Article
New York, NY, April 30, 2013 -- Single-family home prices posted their best annual increase in nearly seven years in February according to the S&P/Case-Shiller composite index.

Beaulieu Plans CEO Transition as Boe Retires   Full Article
Dalton, GA, April 30, 2013 -- Beaulieu CEO Ralph Boe is planning to retire Feb. 28 and the company has announced a transition to dual chief executives.

SelecTech Names Assistant Director of Operations   Full Article
Avon, MA, April 30, 2013 -- SelecTech, Inc., a manufacturer of recycled flooring products, has promoted Daniela Osborne to assistant director of operations.

Tate Becomes Net Zero Emissions Manufacturer   Full Article
Jessup, MD, April 30, 2013 -- Raised flooring firm Tate said it has eliminated 100% of all greenhouse gas emissions caused primarily by electricity and natural gas usage in its three North American facilities.

Engineered Floors Plans Major Expansion   Full Article
Dalton, GA, April 30, 2013 -- Engineered Floors may be planning a new state-of-the-art carpet mill in Northwest Georgia soon, according to a Chattanooga Times-Free Press story.