Bright lights? Summer in Las Vegas? You guessed it! It was HOT! The Las Vegas Convention Center had a strange mix of people drawn to it as it had many events under the same roof. To list a few, AAU Basketball, IDEA World Fitness 2017, and Association of Woodworking & Furnishing Suppliers (AWFS) were among the organizations that inter-mingled throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center. The atmosphere really made for an interesting affair.
For the most part, woodworking trade shows are regional, but once a year, there is a show that garners national attention. This year, my friends, it was AWFS 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. While there were many attractions under the same roof, it was the AWFS 2017 fair that took center stage. With about 15,000 attendees and over 500 exhibitors from throughout the United States and abroad (the veneer booth next to us was from Turkey!) were in attendance. In an effort to represent our company well, MacDonald & Owen Lumber Company Sales Interns Jerry Flores and Keonte Turner joined veteran Sales Representatives Justin Briski, Heidi Hurtis and Erik Skjervem to host a booth at the AWFS 2017.
For our M&O sales team, there was never a dull moment. There were displays of woodworking tools, supplies, finishes, accessories and countless customers and vendors to connect with. There were aisles and aisles of innovation, new products and technology. Additionally, Axalta (A paint coating system manufacturer), had Dale Earnhardt Jr. as a speaker!
Another noteworthy thing about this year’s AWFS was the new way that attendees exchanged information with one another. This year’s innovation took us from old fashion business cards to Compulead. Compulead is a smart phone app that allows individuals to swap information. Two easy steps of opening the app on your smart phone and scanning someone’s QR barcode on their badge could give you access to their company’s name, location, phone number and email. This served as a very useful tool!
Overall the event was both exciting as well as a success! The sales team of MacDonald & Owen Lumber Company had the opportunity to talk with current and potential customers and suppliers. It was an invaluable experience & we can’t wait to do it again at AWFS 2018!
