The Expo offered more than 20 hours of education in six tracks: management, marketing/sales, technical skills, design, collaboration and legislative. Additionally, the daylong NWFA certified professionals (NWFACP) symposium, which took place the day before expo, provided three more tracks, including an opportunity for wood flooring retail sales professionals to become NWFACP certified sales advisors. 

 

According to the association, the trade show floor sold out in February, reaching beyond the size of the football field in the dome where the St. Louis Rams play. It included two demonstration theaters, one for exhibitors to showcase products and one for NWFA Regional Instructors to display technical skills. There were 29 more companies on the floor than in 2014 and 49 more than in 2013, with 60 first-time exhibitors this year. Four years after NWFA overhauled the expo, rebuilding the show and the show staff from the ground up, the growth continues.

 

"While NWFA serves its members to assist their growth, we could not do that well without the active support of our members all year long and especially as attendees, exhibitors and sponsors at expo, said Michael Martin, NWFA's president and CEO. "That the show has grown on average 25% each of these past few years is remarkable. We want to keep the positive momentum going.”

 

This year's expo theme, “Play it Forward,” focused on growing members’ businesses through service to others, according to Martin. Cause marketing was a topic presented by Martin during the kickoff general session in which Gary Sinise, Oscar-nominated actor and founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation (GSF), officially launched an ongoing partnership between NWFA and GSF to benefit wounded military veterans. 

 

Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith also appeared at expo for the announcement of NWFA’s partnership with the Gateway PGA REACH Foundation.

 

For more information, visit nwfa.org.