When Surfaces, the floor covering industry’s premier trade show and exhibition, opens its doors in Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2001, at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, visitors will find themselves shaking a new set of hands once they start walking the aisles.

Washington D.C.-based Hanley-Wood LLC, a business-to-business information provider for the residential and commercial construction industry, purchased Surfaces from the World Floor Covering Association in early 2000. The company’s exhibitions division produces eight trade shows, including World of Concrete and Custom Home.

While the behind-the-scenes names may have changed, the show’s outward appearance remains essentially the same. Surfaces plays host to one of the largest and most diverse gatherings of floor covering industry professionals in the marketplace. Hanley-Wood officials are projecting a 2001 attendance of more than 35,000, with close to 900 companies from more than 27 countries looking to fill more than 500,000 net square feet of exhibit hall floor space.

The 2000 event was one of the more visually stimulating shows, with exhibiting companies bringing in bigger and better demonstrations and entertainment to attract customers. Domco Tarkett enlisted a troupe of inline skaters and professional bikers to showcase their skills on a half-pipe clad with the company’s resilient flooring, while Armstrong retained Steve Young, the former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, to sign autographs and pose for pictures with booth visitors. It will be interesting to see what the exhibitors have in store for 2001.

But Surfaces is not simply a venue for buying and selling. The event allows industry professionals the chance to network, engage old friends and initiate new business relationships. The three-day show is filled with a variety of conference programs, pre-show workshops and educational seminars structured to help people from all segments of the industry advance and develop both themselves and their businesses.

This year’s comprehensive educational conference program will feature 37 seminars aligned in a multi-track schedule, with emphases on marketing, business, installation, sales, new technology, and design. Topics will include e-business, new profit centers and sales staff maximization, among others. The seminars are scheduled to run from 8-9:30 a.m. and 3:30-5 p.m. during each day of the show. Each seminar costs $45 if the attendee is registered for Surfaces by Dec. 28.

For the fourth year in a row, Surfaces attendees will be treated to a display of some of the finest installation skills in the nation. The WFCA’s National Installation Contest, co-sponsored by National Floor Trends and Floor Covering Installer magazines, brings together 20 of the flooring installation industry’s best, to compete for cash and the right to be recognized as one of the nation’s elite. Selected from a series of regional competitions held during the last half of 2000 across the country, the competitors are judged on a written exam, repair work and a timed, hands-on project that onlookers are invited to watch from a raised platform. The contest is divided into two categories, carpet and resilient, with 10 competitors in each division.

The $40 billion-plus floor covering industry continues to grow and mature, and Surfaces continues to be the best opportunity for professionals in all segments to observe the changes.

Installation Excellence on Display

The World Floor Covering Association’s National Installation Contest brings together a collection of installation professionals from across the country to compete at Surfaces in carpet and resilient categories. These 20 finalists were chosen from regional competitions that were conducted during the second half of 2000. Come and see them compete during Surfaces 2001.

CARPET

Southeast Regional -- Richard E. Bennett II
Northeast Regional -- Mark Biron
Northwest Regional -- Ken Frango
Upper Midwest Regional -- Jim Rank
Southeast Regional 2 -- Fred Chastain
Southwest Regional -- Jon Namba
Mid-America Regional -- Biago (Poli) Harrington
West Coast Regional -- Robert Varden
Wildcard Winners -- Doss Davis, Kevin Twohig

RESILIENT

Southeast Regional -- Scott Hoover
Northeast Regional -- Scott Sager
Northwest Regional -- John Elliot
Upper Midwest Regional -- Stacey Hauptman
Southeast Regional 2 -- Russell Lather
Southwest Regional -- Marty Chavez
Mid-America Regional -- Tim R. Jackson
West Coast Regional -- Mike Suffia
Wildcard Winners -- Mike Megonigal, Dave Rowden