Wednesday, August 9, 2023
Surpassing all expectations AWFS Fair once again brought future into focus and celebrated a triumphant wrap after a successful four day run from July 25 to 28 at Las Vegas, USA. The American woodworking industry brought forward excellence in innovation while transforming the Las Vegas venue into an epicenter of business by bringing out the trendy innovations, products and solutions to the market.
Attendees from over 40 countries carried back enriching experiences from the four-day long show. Sustainability as the driving motto, the show hit the success bar with its outstanding exhibition and plethora of events that received outstanding response. Making the most of the opportunity, the furniture and woodworking industry exchanged their views and creations giving the visionary event a precise end.
On the eve of the wrap Wood & Panel indulged into a face to face conversation with Angelo Gangone, executive vice president, Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS) who shares joy of witnessing an active fair ground that is abuzz with live demonstrations, interactions and business networking.
Highlights from the interview:
WPU: This edition you have many new exhibitors so would you like to tell us about them, for example, from which region they are from, they are local or from all over?
Angelo Gangone: Exhibitors are from all over the United States, North America and international as well it’s a really nice cross sectional exhibitors from all over geography and products and that’s one of the great things about this kind of shows where you get chance to see new products and that are very new to the market, things you have never seen before. It gives them a great opportunity to see something that will help them in manufacturing their product.
WPU: Do you have any speedy networking sessions here in the show?
Angelo Gangone : In terms of networking specifically, this year we have seen a unique approach from exhibitors, that is they are setting up their own networking events for their customers, which is fantastic because not only they are able to meet their existing customers but are also inviting new customers, potential new customers and that’s something we really encourage to our exhibitors because the show doesn’t just take place from nine to five on the show floor it also moves into after hours in many cases and that’s where a lot of the networking actively get done as well as in our seminar programs and on the showfloor you will see that there are different events in the booths various exhibitors so with all of that you have got a very strong networking backdrop to the show that’s this show is all about where we are bringing the entire industry together under one roof over the course of four days. I think we have accomplished that mission.
WPU: As you know digitalization and sustainability are two most important factors. So where do you place AWFS Fair in this?
Angelo Gangone : Sustainability is all over and you will get to see a lot of the sustainability around on the supplier side with some of the materials that they’re coming to market which is great but even in ourselves we really believe in sustainability and we’ve had an ongoing relationship with WEIMA where they take all of the wood scraps and basically they recycle it and then donate it because before I remember the first couple of shows we did here we had so much wood waste which is really a shame and that wood waste ended up in a dumpster somewhere and we didn’t think that was right so we decided to put it into good use and that is a program that we have show after show and we’re going to continue to have it so that is one of the ways that we contribute to it for sure.
Until next time!
Watch the complete video from the link
Tags: Angelo Gangone, awfs, wood, wood and panel, woodworking, woodworking and manufacturing, woodworking event, woodworking industry, woodworking USA
