Tampa, FL– The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) traveled here to the Tampa Convention Center recently to welcome approximately 3,000 attendees to its Annual Wood Flooring Expo. The event has been hosted by NWFA for nearly four decades.
2022’s keynote speaker was Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D., the Bowtie Economist, who is an internationally acclaimed economist and public speaker. Formerly a Senior Economist with the National Association of Home Builders, Eisenberg offered insights on the economy, labor and supply chain issues, inflation, reducing risk, staying ahead of the financial curve, and more.
Additionally, this Expo featured 40-plus hours of industry-specific education and product demonstrations, 340-plus booths on the trade show floor, and more than 50 networking opportunities. A Manufacturer & Distributor Reception was also held to create networking opportunities for all industry professionals in attendance.
One of the NWFA’s newest additions to Expo was the pre-show education session for business owners, which included the following topic: Succession Planning & Combating New Tax Proposals – Assuring the Successful Continuation of Your Company. Business owners learned tools and strategies regarding business succession, wealth preservation, and transition of assets.
Another new show feature this year was a four-part Business Plan Workshop. Expo participants who attended learned why business plans are essential for successful outcomes, how to conduct market analysis, how to establish short-term and long-term goals, how to formalize your legal structure, how to secure funding, and more.
An additional new event at this year’s Expo was the Women’s Industry Network (WIN) Breakfast. WIN was launched in 2018, but this year was the first in-person meeting. Approximately 100 women attended. WIN’s goals and objectives are as follows:
•Unite women throughout the wood flooring supply chain
•Provide opportunities to network, support, and learn from each other
•Develop programs and resources to address the needs of women in the industry
•Identify ways to recruit, retain and advance women in the industry
•Define career paths and educational opportunities specific to women in the industry
•Recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions of women in the industry
Objectives at Expo
•Meet and celebrate new incoming NWFA Board Chairman (Julie Russell)
•Hear from female industry advocate (Kayleen McCabe)
•Establish projects/goals (open discussion)
Lastly, a Student Day was held in which young men and women from local high schools were invited to attend the show to learn more about our industry. Students took part in demonstrations, toured the trade show floor, learned about career paths in the industry, and had opportunities to meet with companies anxious to hire.
Want to learn more? Visit www.nwfa.org.
