Industry Experts Sought as Judges for New Products at “AWFS®Vegas” “Sequoia Awards”

Furniture World Magazine

AWFS®Fair, July 27 – 30 at Las Vegas, is expanding and refining its new product awards, and seeking industry professionals to serve as volunteer judges. The new product showcase that was launched so successfully in 2003 will be enhanced as a prominent feature of the show. In addition, AWFS® is expanding the depth of the highly respected Sequoia Awards, which focused solely on environmental achievement, to now be the overall name for our prestigious new product awards. The Sequoia Awards will be presented to winners in nine categories: -Environmental Achievement -Machinery Under $50,000 -Machinery Over $50,000 -Components -Tooling -Hardware -Power Tools -Software -Miscellaneous – for those items that don’t fit in any of the above categories All 2005 “AWFS®Vegas” exhibitors will have the opportunity to display and enter new products in the New Products Showcase and Sequoia Awards. Angelo Gangone, director of AWFS®Fair is seeking to create specific teams of judges for the eight categories excluding environmental achievement. (Katy Wolf, Ph.D. of the Institute for Research and Technical Assistance (IRTA) will continue to organize the panel of environmental experts.) “Last year we only had one team of judges for eight categories and it was a really big job. Most of the judges, however, told me the time was well spent as it gave them an in-depth preview of products they could actually use, and have already volunteered for the 2005 show,” explained Gangone. AWFS® is seeking volunteers who are familiar with the products exhibited at the show, either as a user or a buyer. The ideal candidate will either own or have senior operations responsibility for their woodworking or furnishings business; have 5 or more years experience in the field and have some particular expertise with the category they are judging. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Angelo Gangone at (323) 838-9440 ext. 12. Gangone explains that the judging will take place on Wednesday, July 27 and possibly on the morning of the 28th, with the awards given that evening. “This year, we want to lessen the burden on our volunteers and confine it to a few hours and also allow them to spend more time reviewing each product.” Founded in 1911, AWFS® is the largest national trade association in the United States representing companies that supply the home and commercial furnishings industry. AWFS® has an international membership that includes manufacturers and distributors of machinery, hardware, lumber, upholstery, materials, bedding and other supplies to furniture, cabinet manufacturers and custom woodworkers. The AWFS®Fair is a biennial event in which buyers and manufacturers gather from around the world to buy and sell the latest products and services related to the wood and home furnishings markets.