The international influence, already considerable at previous shows, will mostly come from the growing number of Asian manufacturers entering the fray. Many on hand this year will be clustered in The Chinese Pavilion, which debuted at Surfaces ‘05 and was well received by retailers eager to expand the breath of their selections particularly in such categories as bamboo. Still, discussions around the show floor are also likely to focus on how the Asian influence is creating pricing pressure at a time when domestic suppliers are grappling with severe cost increases.
At the same time, the show will see the debut of a major new undertaking designed to help flooring specialty stores become more sophisticated-and aggressive-about capturing business in their own backyard. The World Floor Covering Association is set to launch a new company that will provide an array of web-based services for members. The goal is to use web- based marketing to help participating stores zero in on business from consumers in their immediate area.