Thursday, November 9, 2017
Preliminary figures show nearly 4,400 attendees visited the exhibit floor, with an additional 1,440 exhibitor staff participating. The international character of the WMS continued from years past, attendees came from 21 countries. Acimall, the Italian Wood Machinery Manufacturers organization, used WMS for a promotion of Xylexpo 2018, the Milan exposition running May 8-12 that is the next stopping point in the international circuit of major wood manufacturing events. Canada was widely represented with visitors from 9 provinces and 2 territories. And 34 of the U.S. states were represented among attendees for the three-day exposition, which ran November 2-4 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, near Toronto.
“Exhibitors were positive about the show from start to finish,” said Harry Urban, WMS Show Manager. With more than 270 companies and brands were represented in exhibitor displays, Urban said WMS 2017 – the national event for Canada’s wood industry – featured dozens of products on display in North America for the first time.
“This year’s exhibits featured many interactive displays, including immersive reality headsets, hands-on demonstrations, and real-time video feeds to remote plants and offices,” said Urban.
WMS Conference sessions included four tracks, two per day, covering Cabinet Manufacturing & Design, Woodshop Best Practices, Panel & Hardware Trends, and Finishing Materials & Techniques.
“Our two program included full days of sessions on topics ranging from Best Practices to Social Media Do’s and Don’ts to Finishing and Materials know-how,” says Urban. A pre-show event November 1 was staged off-site, focusing on surface preparation for high gloss finishes, at Taurus Craco’s demonstration center in Brampton.
“One of our goals was to re-dedicate the educational aspect of WMS, and the participation of attendees this year was strong,” Urban says, indicating an embrace of the expanded program.
“For the first time, we included two stellar keynotes presentations by Sylvain Garneau of Groupe Lacasse in Montreal and Scott Hodson of Superior Cabinets in Calgary,” notes Urban.
Dates for the next two editions of the show were also announced. WMS 2019 will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2019; and WMS 2021 will run Oct. 28-30, 2021. Both shows will be staged in Halls 1 and 2 at the International Centre, in Mississauga, Ontario.
Source: Woodworking Network
