Busy Show Floor at Surfaces 2016 in Las Vegas

Traffic was brisk at the NWFA Pavilion.

The mood was again upbeat at The International Surface Event 2016 in Las Vegas Jan. 19-22, with many veteran exhibitors and attendees noting that traffic on the first two days seemed busier than they had seen it in years. Official attendance figures have not been released, but the show again had over 700 exhibiting companies. For the first time, the show floor was on one level.

Traffic appeared to drop off sharply on Friday, particularly as many people attempted to fly out early to beat the incoming blizzard on the East Coast.

Armstrong had a strong presence as it returned to the show floor this year.The National Wood Flooring Association and Hardwood Floors magazine again hosted a pavilion in which NWFA members could participate. This year those members were: Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring, Appalachian Flooring Ltd., Basic Coatings, Benchmark International, The Fidbox LLC, Flooring Pro Fasteners, Fortifiber Building Systems Group, Mercier Wood Flooring, Moosewood Flooring, Norton Abrasives/Vermont Natural Coatings, Oshkosh Designs and Sheoga Hardwood Flooring.

“We found the traffic to be excellent on Wednesday and Thursday and weak Friday because of the East Coast weather,” said longtime participant Richard Poirier of Moosewood. “The NWFA 'super booth' once again was excellent, with good volumes and outstanding quality of visitors.”

First-time pavilion participant Scott Taylor of The Fidbox LLC agreed. “The NWFA Pavilion within the Surfaces convention was a great display of wood-centric people. It was nice to see that our booth was full because of other wood flooring colleagues encouraging people to see our booth and others within our circle. I can't imagine doing it any other way!”

At the Installation Showcase on the show floor, six-time Emmy-nominated actor Ed Begley Jr. discussed his experiences that led him to environmental activism and his new relationship with Bostik, which provided the adhesive for Begley’s LEED Platinum home.Out on the show floor, HF Design LLC President Alex Shaoulpour was positive about the reaction to the company’s products, noting that they had developed more “high-style” products with higher margin potential. “We were very thrilled with the overwhelming response of our new collections and feedback from both dealers and distributors to set the pace for a successful year,” he said.

TISE again included the Surfaces, StoneExpo and Tile Expo shows co-located at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and was part of Design & Construction Week 2016, during which the NAHB International Builders’ Show, Kitchen & Bath Industry Show and International Window Coverings Expo also share dates in Las Vegas.

For more photos from the show, see the photo album on the HF Facebook page.

Surfaces 2017 will be held at Mandalay Bay on Jan. 17-20, with the trade show on Jan. 18-20.