Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Over 150 people participated in the Woodworking Fair Midwest (WFM), a regional trade show created in light of the IWF 2020 cancellation. Eighteen exhibitors showcased their product and services to attendees from 12 different states, as far away as Georgia and Pennsylvania.
“This was an experiment. We didn’t know what to expect,” says Kirsti Nelson, Director of Marketing and Communications at Vecoplan. Nelson served on the event steering committee and managed the show’s marketing. In a post-show survey, “over 85 percent of exhibitors stated they were satisfied with the quality of attendees. We may not have had huge groups of people inundate us, but that’s a pretty impressive satisfaction rating considering this was a first-time event.”
Many exhibitors set up their machinery to do demonstrations. Six had a 600 sq foot booth to display their equipment.
WFM also surveyed attendees on their impression after the show. Their consensus was that they want the show to return. “Seventy percent of attendees said they’d like the show to happen each year. They were pleased with the products and services at WFM. Half of the respondents said they’d like to see even more exhibitors. So who knows? WFM may be here to stay. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day,” considers Nelson.
Tags: Kirsti Nelson, regional trade show, woodworking fair, Woodworking Fair Midwest
