It is hard to believe that April is here and another fantastic AWCI Annual Convention and Intex Expo is over. After months of preparation and planning, the event has passed and it will soon be time for organizers to start thinking about the 2009 show in Nashville.
Over the last few years I have had the privilege of watching the AWCI staff pull together to make our annual convention and the Intex Expo a remarkable success. If you think it is difficult managing your company’s work force, try keeping more than 200 manufacturers and thousands of contractors happy for the better part of a week. Of course, without the monetary help and time commitment of our supplier and manufacturer friends, pulling it together would be difficult.
There was a recent article in a trade magazine that looked at the possibility of the era of trade shows and conventions coming to an end. After attending AWCI’s convention and show, which featured more than 375 exhibit booths (many with new products) marketed by enthusiastic manufacturers, I think it is safe to say trade shows in the wall and ceiling industry—specifically organized through the AWCI—are alive, well and in great hands. You should also be proud to know that the Intex Expo is the largest trade show serving the wall and ceiling industry in the world. Look for great articles and photos of the event in next month’s issue of AWCI’s Construction Dimensions that show off our stuff.
I hope attendees enjoyed their time in Las Vegas and brought something back to help their businesses, whether it was something they learned from an educational seminar or two, or a product or new technology they saw in action on the trade show floor.
For me, the traveling doesn’t stop at Vegas. This month I will be in one of my favorite cities, San Diego, at the Northwest Wall and Ceiling Bureau’s annual convention. It promises to be a great event. I will follow with a visit to AWCI’s Detroit chapter’s annual awards dinner. In early March I enjoyed my visit to San Jose, where I attended the Northern California Drywall Contractors Association’s annual awards dinner. These types of events prove that our industry continues to put out solid efforts to keep our industry alive and healthy.
Thanks again must go to the organizers of our convention. I’m sure through your efforts, next year’s version in Nashville will be equally remarkable.
