Surfaces Expo Releases Attendance Figures
“Every exhibitor I spoke with told me while attendance appeared to be down slightly, buying was significantly up, proceeding at a record pace and exceeding their expectations,” says Davis. “Considering conditions in the marketplace, that is a very positive report.”
We were very pleased with our success at Surfaces this year,” says Mark C. Clayton, EVP Marketing, Beaulieu-USA. “Our new products and programs were well received, the dealers came ready to buy and the show proved to be a great launching pad for our new initiatives.”
“We were thrilled with our results,” says Don Karlin Jr., Hagaman Carpet Industries. “Over 30 sample placements, nearly 100 leads, many customer visits and many NEW prospects who had never heard of us.”
“Another Surfaces is under our belts and I can say that I think this year was more exciting and had a better energy than shows in recent years,” says Jamie Gibbs, ASID, IFDA, Jamie Gibbs and Associates, New York, NY. “I look forward to an even bigger and better Surfaces 2008!”
“It was an amazing show,” says Kevin O’Rourke, Dickson Carpet One Floor & Home, Cobourg, Ontario, Canada. “We found everything we were looking for and more!”
“I’ve been coming to Surfaces for many years and I wish it were five days,” says Ed Carr, Adams Bros. Interiors & Cabinets, Phoenix, AZ. “I need more time to take it all in!”
Surfaces continues to offer the widest range of products and services of any other industry event. With 1,065 exhibiting companies at this year’s show in over 517,000 net square feet of exhibit space, attendees had the perfect opportunity to see thousands of product lines under one roof. Once again, Surfaces attracted an impressive list of new manufacturers—more than 300 had not exhibited at Surfaces before—bringing even more style and trends to THE one-stop-shopping event of the year.
Surfaces 2007 proved to be so successful for some exhibiting companies they are requesting larger, more strategically placed booth locations for 2008.
“We will definitely want to exhibit in 2008,” says Heidi Nevala, Atlantis Industry. “Surfaces was the best show—next year I want a larger booth.”
“Big D’s first time exhibiting at Surfaces was a huge success,” says Keven Feld, Big D Floor Covering, Phoenix, AZ. “We had a great customer turnout at our booth.”
This year’s Conference Program, with more than 2,600 sessions attended, was stocked full of in-depth information and proven strategies to benefit floor covering professional’s businesses. The 42 conference sessions, sponsored by Mannington Mills, covered a variety of topics—marketing, business, sales, design and installation—guaranteeing that every segment of the floor covering industry had the opportunity to learn about the hottest trends.
“I attended the seminar on moisture mitigation. I’ve been to countless seminars over the years and that was, without question, the most informative,” says John Cox, TJX Companies, Framingham, MA.
This year’s Installation Showcase—sponsored by James Hardie and brought to you by International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI), Floor Covering Installer and National Floor Trends magazines and the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA)—was a hot spot on the show floor once again. Retailers and installers attended the live demonstrations to get up-close education on some of the latest floor covering installation and cost-cutting techniques. This was also a great platform for the attendees to get direct feedback from the installation instructors. Some sessions were standing room only!
“Everything was great,” says Tim Chavey, Flooring Specialists, Citrus Heights, CA. “CFI was very informative and forthcoming with their installation knowledge.”
The Designer/Architect Program, which debuted at Surfaces 2007, turned out to be a great networking forum for architects and designers across the country. This comprehensive program offered several workshop and seminar options, helping architects and designers become more familiar with the latest styles, colors, trends and inner-workings of the floor covering industry.
“I really enjoyed finding many new and interesting sources at this year’s show,” added Gibbs. “There is so much new technology and our industry is really grasping it!”
In addition to the educational sessions, two bonus events were offered to the designers and architects on Thursday, February 8. A Keynote Luncheon was held on the subject of “Finding Your Design Inspiration” with speaker Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz, named America’s “Most Brilliant Decorators” for 10 consecutive years by House Beautiful. To cap off “Designer/Architect Day” a reception was held at TAO Las Vegas, providing a more intimate setting for architects and designers to network with their peers.
“The Keynote Luncheon was amazing,” says Bruce Goff, Domus Designs, Las Vegas. “Not only was Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz a remarkable speaker, it was also a great venue for the designers to ‘swap recipes’ on what to see on the show floor.”
Goff adds, “Booking a speaker with a reputation like Mr. Noriega-Ortiz is a true testament to the caliber of Surfaces and the overall event.”
The industry is already gearing up for Surfaces 2008, which will take place January 30-February 1, 2008 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada USA.
“’Magnificent’ is the adjective to describe the scope of the show,” concludes O’Rourke.
For information on exhibiting at or attending Surfaces 2008, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.Surfaces.com" www.Surfaces.com or call 800.547.3477 or 972.536.6400.
The official sponsor of Surfaces is the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), the floor covering industry's largest advocacy organization representing floor covering retailers, contractors and allied service providers throughout North America.
The WFCA is a recognized leader in marketing research, industry certification programs, and operates the premier consumer flooring web site, HYPERLINK "www.wfca.org"www.wfca.org, providing unbiased information about every type of floor covering and connecting customers to members’ retail stores. The WFCA also influences public policy affecting the floor covering industry and consumers. For more information about the WFCA, visit HYPERLINK "www.wfca-pro.org"www.wfca-pro.org.
Related Topics:American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Beaulieu International Group, Mannington Mills, The International Surface Event (TISE), Carpet One, Armstrong Flooring