International Countertop Expo attracts attendees from around the world

Israel, Brazil, China, India, Lebanon, Albania, Ireland, France and Singapore. Those are among the 17 countries represented at the first-annual International Countertop Expo (ICE) held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center in Las Vegas, February 7-10. Although relatively small in size, ICE attracted an energetic and engaged crowd, who came to the decorative surfacing Expo to learn, to connect and to do business.

“Great things come in small packages,” said International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) president, Evan Kruger. “ICE may not be the largest Expo of the year, but I can guarantee you that everyone who came took away at least two or three nuggets that will save or make their companies thousands of dollars in the coming year.”

“The difference was the energy level,” said Michael Wilson-South of Solid Surface Technologies in Honolulu, HI. “There was a feeling of excitement and brotherhood that reminded me of the early days of ISSFA. This was something really special.”

Creating opportunities for fabricators to interact and learn from each other was the primary goal of ICE, according to officials at ISFA, which sponsored the four-day event. “Everything we did, from the Super Bowl Party, to the conference format, to the on-site vanity fabrication competition and Networking Luncheon – even holding it in a hotel – was designed to bring countertop professionals together,” explained Sandy Milroy, ICE Show Manager and ISFA Director of Meetings and Membership. “There was something going on all the time. People came prepared to share, to strengthen relationships and, above all, to learn.”

Anchored by a stellar conference program that covered a wide range of topics relevant to countertop fabricators, the learning opportunities spilled over into the exhibit hall itself. Seminars on the essentials of running a countertop business, including sales, financial management, and gaining a better understanding of the sustainable movement, ran continuously in the ISFA Area. Fabrication demonstrations, live fabrication of countertops and a special Ask The Experts area brought countertop professionals together in a way that encouraged attendee participation.

Exhibitors at ICE came away feeling that the inaugural show was a worthwhile investment. “I work a lot of trade shows,” said Beth Siatta, Event Manager of eshow/Netronix Corporation, which provided registration services for the event, “and I have heard just about everything from exhibitors over the years. This is the first show I have worked with in at least two years where the exhibitors were excited about what was happening and had only positive things to say. I didn’t hear any negatives.”

“Although the show was small, the quality of attendees was high,” said Gary Sorrells of Color Rite, Inc., a maker of specialty caulking for countertop fabricators. “We did more business this year at ICE than at two or three other expos combined. There was a spirit that reminded us of the early days of solid surface, when people were hungry to learn and were open to new ideas.”

“ICE was a total success for us,” said Joseph Winters, Marketing Director for Domain Industries. “By the second day of the show we already had nearly 150 leads. And the people we talked to were serious about doing business.”

“It was a great show,” said Kirk Olsen of Envision Concrete Countertops, which provides pre-mixed bag mixes for concrete countertops. “We talked to a lot of people who showed real interest in our products.”

From the beginning, show organizers encouraged attendees to “Come early and stay late,” in order to take advantage of the complete ICE experience. It started with a capacity crowd at the Big Game Football Party hosted by Ricardo’s Mexican Restaurant. Revelers snacked on an endless supply of chips and salsa, guacamole and bean dip during the first half of the game, and feasted on an all-you-could-eat buffet at halftime. “It was a fantastic party,” said Lynda Apple of InConcrete Custom Countertops and Design Elements of Flagstaff, AZ.

The ICE registration desk opened at 7am Monday morning, with conferences convening at 8:30. The meeting rooms were filled and the discussions lively in practically every session. At 11:30, everyone broke for lunch, which was highlighted by the Networking Luncheon. “It was a total sellout,” said Milroy. “In fact, we ran out of food and tables, but the staff at Mandalay Bay reacted quickly, and we were able to seat and serve everyone in short order.”  The Networking Luncheon was a paid-ticket event, although holders of three-day conference passes gained free admission to both the luncheon and the Big Game Football Party as part of their conference package.

At 1pm the exhibit hall opened. “We were pleasantly surprised by the number of attendees,” said Doug Turner of Integra Adhesives. “We had planned on this being a smaller show, but the turnout exceeded our expectations.”

In addition to the exhibits, which featured practically every product and service a countertop fabricator needs to be successful, the On-Site Vanity Fabrication competition began in earnest in the ISFA Area of the show floor. Two companies, SurCrete and Envision Concrete Countertops, built custom concrete countertops literally from scratch in full view of attendees. It was a big hit with fabricators, many of whom had never witnessed concrete countertop manufacturing before.

Mike Nolan, Director of Education on the ISFA Board of Directors and Instructor for the association’s acclaimed Solid Surface Total Fabrication Training (TFT) program, conducted mini-courses on solid surface fabrication taken from the TFT curriculum. In an adjoining booth, industry veteran, Chuck Sawyer, presented seminars focusing on Sustainability, the LEED system, How to Become a Greener Company and the Break Even Point model for financial management in a fabrication business. At the back of the exhibit hall, industry leaders manned tables in the Ask The Experts area, fielding questions and talking informally with attendees on an individual basis.

On Tuesday evening ISFA held its annual General Session, in which Evan Kruger was installed as President for 2010. Rounding out the Executive Committee were Hunter Adams, Vice-President; Ted Sherritt, Treasurer; Joe Hoffman, Assistant Treasurer; Kurt Bonk, Secretary; and Sid MacKay, Immediate Past President. In other business, Todd Werstler stepped down as a member of the ISFA board and Russ Berry of A.S.S.T. in Hanover, PA was welcomed as a new board member.

The annual ISFA Awards were presented to outstanding companies and individuals who had impacted the countertop industry during 2009:

The Associate of the Year Award is given to an associate member company that in the past year has best exemplified the role of servicing the needs of fabricator member companies, and who has best supported ISFA in all activities. Colonial Saw of Kingston, MA received this award for its continued support of ISFA as a sponsor and as a cheerleader for the association.

The Innovator Award is for the fabricator member firm or individual who goes outside the box and creates a product or system that enhances the life of the solid surface fabricator. David Cranke of Interfab in Worcestershire, England, received this honor for incorporating the ISFA Certified Professional program into his business and pioneering a marketing template for other fabrication companies to help set themselves apart from the competition.

The Envision Award is given to the manufacturer member that excels in creating something imaginative and special for the surfacing industry. ITW Plexus of Danvers, MA received this award for its Stone Repair Kit, which offers natural stone and quartz surfacing fabricators a quick and effective tool for making invisible repairs.

The Fabricator of the Year is awarded to an individual of a fabricator member company that in the past year has best exemplified the ISFA ideals of quality, innovation, character and exemplary service to ISFA and/or the decorative surfacing industry, with overall excellence. Thierry Delles of CREA Diffusion in Solgne, France, received this honor for his continuing support of ISFA and leadership as an innovator in the decorative surfacing industry on an international stage.

The ISFA Hall of Fame is awarded to the individual, or individuals, who have in the course of their career made significant contributions to the decorative surfacing industry, and have demonstrated leadership and commitment to the ideals of ISFA. Richard Christ of Richard Christ Consulting in Cypress, TX, won the award for his service to the industry as an advisor and business innovator that helped change the paradigm of fabricators as traditionally small Mom and Pop businesses. Even after leaving the industry, Christ continues his role as a mentor to individuals and companies interested in improving their business acumen and market position.

A highlight of ICE was the awards presentation to winners of the Innovations In Design Competition, which was held on the trade show floor Wednesday afternoon. This year’s competition was opened up to all types of decorative surfacing materials and attracted entries from all over the world. Listed below are the winners for each category:

Illuminated Vetrazzo Coffee Bean Kitchen

Immediately following the announcement of winners in the Innovations In Design Competition commenced the Dream Sweeps Giveaway Drawing. The concept behind the drawing was for industry vendors to donate valuable goods and services, for which attendees qualified by visiting each booth at ICE and getting a special ticket provided at registration validated for the drawing. Attendees were required to be in attendance in order to win.

A number of industry suppliers generously donated the following:

The Grand Prize was an expense-paid trip for two to the Silestone plant in Macael, Spain, provided by Cosentino USA. Kate Bisley of Bisley Fabrication, Inc. in Gresham, WI, was the lucky winner.

When one considers the learning opportunities, the chance to interact with fellow fabricators from across the globe, and the energy and excitement generated at ICE, one must come to the conclusion that the countertop industry’s inaugural main event was a success on all fronts.

“Thank you for putting on this event,” said Tony Damiano of Abet Laminati in San Francisco, CA. “We are getting ready to release a new product aimed at this market and we came to catch up on what people are doing and where their interests lie. After seeing how ISFA is involved in the lives of industry members we want to be a part of it. Tell us, ISFA, how we can share in that energy.”