International Woodworking Fair reached new milestones during its bi-annual expo at Georgia World Congress Center. The four-day show, held Aug. 22 – 25, gathered furniture manufacturing, architectural woodworking, custom and general woodworking professionals from across the world.

“IWF 2018 was the largest in size and scope over the last 10 years with more than 30,000 registered visitors experiencing the show,” said Jim Wulfekuhle, vice president of sales and marketing, International Woodworking Fair. “Atlanta has been the host of IWF since 1986 and our success has brought us back for over 30 years. Our 2020 theme will be IWF is ___. For us, IWF is Atlanta.”
 
Attendees from all 50 states and 98 countries took part in product showcases and demonstrations, and more than 70 educational sessions covering topics including manufacturing techniques, business development and production strategies. A new pavilion added to the show floor, bringing the total count to three, featured a decorative surfaces pavilion, cabinet and closets pavilion and one dedicated to wood flooring. This year’s show also hosted more than 1,000 exhibitors and the largest exhibit space in a decade.  

Telepresence robotic beams – a new addition for IWF – allowed users to virtually browse and interact with exhibits via robots controlled remotely from their computers. This technology joined IWF’s Go-Pro team of individuals wearing cameras to livestream their experiences in real time via social media. IWF TV returned with daily show recaps, exhibitor interviews and seminar summaries available to view online.
 
“IWF’s continued success stands not only as a testament to the organization’s hard work, but also its commitment to leading the industry with new offerings for attendees,” said William Pate, president and CEO, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We are pleased to see them continue to grow and look forward to welcoming them back in 2020.”