The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) recently held its 2008 Education Conference and Wood Flooring Expo in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Though attendance was down slightly from last year, the show attracted just over 3,400 attendees from throughout the world, with companies filling 577 exhibit booths.

NWFA executive director/ceo Ed Korczak said, “Although the industry is down between 15-20 percent, we were pleasantly surprised that our attendance this year was down less than 100 people from 2007,” said Korczak. He adds, “In fact, the entire focus of the education conference focused on surviving in a down market. Those companies who can make the adjustments now to survive the downturn will be well poised when the industry turns around.”

Highlighting the four-day event was keynote speaker Don Shula. Shula, who is an NFL Hall of Fame player and coach educated attendees with his presentation on “How to Get Maximum Performance from Your Team.”

The trade show floors also saw many educational opportunities with demonstrations on moisture barriers, unique finishes, stairs and railings, extreme makeovers on a budget, moisture testing and acclimation, and floor repairs of boards and finishes.

Plans are also underway for the NWFA’s 2009 Convention to be held April 29-May 2 in Long Beach, CA. For more information, call (800) 422-4556, or visit www.nwfa.org.