Calendar is crowded with industry events

The year hasn’t gotten away from us yet. There’s still time to plan for a number of upcoming events important to the woodworking industry.

The big one is the AWFS fair, which is scheduled for July 22-25 in Las Vegas. Online registration is available at www.awfsfair.org. Register before June 30 for savings. Discount hotel rates can also be booked through the site.

By March, there were more than 400 confirmed exhibitors, including machinery manufacturers and distributors, providers of design and manufacturing software, CNC specialists, hardwood dealers, hardware suppliers and wood component manufacturers. The AWFS fair is easily the year’s best opportunity to purchase or kick the tires of woodworking equipment, supplies and materials at one location.

The AWFS fair also presents an extensive educational program called the College of Woodworking Knowledge. There will be approximately 50 expert-led sessions in eight tracks, including classroom-style seminars and panels, workshops and technology-oriented SMART (Special Machinery and Relevant Technology) seminars. Content is designed around current market trends and attendee-requested topics with an emphasis on giving attendees the latest information and strategies to improve productivity and stay competitive in the marketplace.

My bags will be packed for the Woodworking Industry Conference, which runs April 21-24 in San Antonio. This annual conference, produced by the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America and Wood Machinery Industry Association, is mostly a networking and educational event. There are association board meetings, presentations on manufacturing trends and economic forecasts, a contact table session for face-to-face business meetings and various social events.

The National Hardware Show will mark its 70th anniversary May 5-7 in Las Vegas.

This is an opportunity to see new products for the home improvement market, attend educational seminars and network with a large contingent of retailers.

The Furniture Society scheduled its annual symposium for June 25-27 at the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham, N.C. The program details are still in the planning stages, so visit www.furnituresociety.org for updates.

The next Kitchen & Bath Industry Show isn’t until Jan. 19-21, 2016. It’s a combined event with the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, showcasing the latest industry products, trends and technologies. It’s also held during “Design & Construction Week,” which involves other partner events related to the building trades.

Las Vegas will also host the Stairbuilders and Manufacturers Association Conference on April 9-12. The event offers seminars, workshop and updates on code compliance.

LIGNA, the world’s largest trade event for woodworking machinery and technology, will take place May 11-15 in Hanover, Germany.

The Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo is scheduled for April 15-18 in Schaumburg, Ill.

Finally, the Spring High Point Market will be held Apr. 18-23, followed by a fall event Oct. 17-22 in High Point, N.C.

Correction

From the virtual mailbag, a lumber producer pointed out an incorrect definition for gross tally and net tally in “Lumber lessons: Understand the rules and save big” (Page 19, March 2015).

“Net tally or net measure indicates a tally after the material has been dried. Before drying is generally referred to as green tally, but may be called gross tally by some mills,” he wrote in an email.

Thanks for the insight.

This article originally appeared in the April 2015 issue.