AWFS Woodworking Posts Record For Exhibitor Space Levels

Furniture World Magazine

The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers® (AWFS®) announced that they have surpassed all past exhibitor space levels, and “AWFS®Vegas” is now the largest show in the history of the AWFS®Fair. The 2005 Fair takes place Wednesday July 27 - Saturday July 30 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Based on the response that we received from the time we made the move announcement, we had little doubt that this was going to be the largest show in our history. It’s really nice that we were able to ‘officially’ make that claim as early as of December 31st. And demand for space remains strong with seven more months to go,” exclaimed Angelo Gangone, director of the trade show. As of the end of 2004, AWFS® had over 370,050 sq ft net in exhibit space sold, which is almost 23,000 sq ft more than the total sold for 2003. Up until now, 2001 was the largest show in AWFS® history, at 365,960 net sq ft of sold exhibit space. In 2003, 347,150 net sq ft had been sold. For those who are still considering exhibiting, Gangone stresses that time is of the essence. “At the rate we are going, we fully expect to sell out both halls at the convention center – representing a total of 430,000 sq ft net.” Exhibitors include a good mix of new and returning exhibitors. In 2005, there are 135 new exhibiting companies, representing about 21% of exhibitors to date.