It’s never too early to plan for IWF 2000
News and notes concerning the International Woodworking Fair
| By the time this issue has landed in your mailbox, IWF 2000 will be less than 11 weeks away. The 34-year-old event is gearing up to what organizers expect to be the biggest fair ever. IWF 2000 takes place August 24 to 27 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Georgia Dome and the Georgia World Congress Center, and showcases machinery, supplies and services for both large manufacturers and small professional shops in the woodworking, furniture, cabinetry, solid surface, architectural woodwork, store fixtures and plastic fabricating industries.
IWF is owned and sponsored by American Furniture Manufacturers Association (AFMA), Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America (WMMA) and Woodworking Machinery Industry Association (WMIA).
The largest trade show of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, IWF will host buyers from more than 90 countries, IWF organizers say. Highlights of this year’s fair include the Technical Conference Program, the Upholstery Showcase, the New Product Showcase, and the Challengers Award and Design Emphasis competitions among other features.
You can register now for IWF 2000 at www.iwf2000.com.
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Challenger’s Award Competition Is Underway
The 2000 Challengers Distinguished Achievement Awards™ has received 75 entries from 66 companies. This award is one of the industry’s highest honors, recognizing advancements in technology or significant contributions to environmental improvement.
The award will recognize seven outstanding exhibiting companies at IWF 2000 that have distinguished themselves by developing forward-thinking technology, materials, services, supplies or safety devices that will advance the industry.
A panel of distinguished judges has begun to review and analyze each entry. After deciding on the top 20 entries, the final judging will take place during IWF 2000 and the awards will be presented during a special ceremony on Thursday, August 24 at 1:30 p.m. in the Stanley Marcus Auditorium.
The judges for the 2000 Challengers Award are: Chairman Richard Campbell, Norwalk Furniture Company; Mark Bernhard, Bernhard Woodworks, Ltd.; David Grubb, Knoll Group; Don Hinsdale, Homecrest Corp.; Roger Jones, Century Furniture Industries; Steve Jacobs, Woodcraft Industries; Don Krug, Bush Industries; Michael Moran, Ashley Furniture; A.J. Ottinger, Henkel - Harris Co., Inc.; and Doug Williams, Hooker Furniture.
–Look for a complete listing of award nominees online at www.modernwoodworking.com
Technical Seminars Provide Valuable How-To Information
With a simple registration upgrade, buyers at IWF 2000 can attend a variety of how-to technical seminars. Each of the eight seminars offered will feature a panel of experts in a particular field or area and will include a question and answer session.
Topics include: Powder Coatings for Wood (Sponsored by Modern Woodworking), Profiting through Automation, Marketing on the Internet, Workplace Safety, Wood Dust Health Studies and Workplace Standards, How to Become an Employer of Choice, Water-Based Finishing for the Small to Medium-Sized Shop, and Upholstery: Issues of Supply Chain Management.
Featuring Real-Time Online Housing Reservation System
Woodworking industry professionals planning to attend IWF can not only register online this year, they can also reserve housing and arrange travel through the IWF web site at www.iwf2000.com. While online registration is nothing new to IWF, real-time housing means that professionals visiting the site can see what rooms are available the very moment they are online.
“Reserving a room well in advance is always a good idea. Since IWF is one of Atlanta’s largest events, our participants fill most of Atlanta’s hotels a good portion of the week surrounding the show,” commented George Delaney, Chairman of IWF 2000.
In addition to seeing an online listing of hotels with current availability, visitors to www.iwf2000.com can read descriptions of the hotel property, see a chart of amenities, and click to an area map showing the location and proximity to the event. They also can qualify for special airfares through Delta, American, US Air, and Northwest. If they choose not to make reservations or travel arrangements online, the web site provides them a downloadable reservation form and a tool to use before they call the IWF Travel Desk.
By registering in advance for $10, buyers can save $10 off the onsite registration fee of $20 and avoid waiting in registration lines. Pre-registrants also will receive advance planning materials such as the Atlanta Advantage magazine, a pre-show guide to IWF (which was mailed in May); and the Pre-Show Newspaper, which includes a list of exhibitors with booth numbers and a “new product” icon if they are debuting any new products, along with product category listings. The Pre-Show Newspaper will be mailed in July.
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