“GlassBuild America is only 3 weeks away? Are you going?” So goes the message that I have been sending out to my customers and prospects. So far, it seems that about 60 percent of the answers are a yes, 20 percent are no and 20 percent are a maybe. In an economy that is still struggling to get back on track, it is good to see that the majority of the leading door and window companies will still be represented at the show. The trend is definitely to send fewer people, but most companies are at least sending somebody.

The GlassBuild Show is the most significant event of the industry. It is the main event where new technologies are unveiled and new ideas for future technologies are born. It also is where customer-supplier relationships are strengthened, old relationships are renewed and new relationships are born.

Nearly one of every ten booths will be a first-time exhibitor. This means plenty of new products to learn about. But don’t forget about new products from existing exhibitors. Most exhibitors use GlassBuild America as the main venue to launch new products. Pre-show publicity such as mailers, ads and product announcements are used to build suspense and anticipation, and this draws prospects to the booth.

The booth is where it all happens! This is where exhibitors have the opportunity to engage “face to face” with hundreds of potential customers from all over the world each day of the show. Compare this opportunity with the cost of actually traveling to each prospective customer location to make individual sales calls, and even the shrewdest accountant should recognize the value of this event!

With most companies cutting back on the number of people they are sending to the show, the few that are going are typically key people within the organization, those who are most likely to be making the decisions. These include general managers, purchasing directors, chief engineers, presidents, vice presidents, CFOs, CEOs and owners.

For the exhibitors, this means less traffic but quality traffic! Just about everybody you talk to will be in a position to really influence the buying decisions in their respective companies.

A few years ago, when the industry was enjoying its boom years, attendance at this show was perhaps just as much a celebration of the past year’s success as it was preparation for the coming year. Now that we are experiencing tough economic conditions, the show takes on a more serious demeanor. For exhibitors, it is an opportunity to show why you’re the best, cement existing relationships and forge new ones. The goal is to ensure i For attendees, it is a week to get away, to learn as much as possible about new technology, make key buying decisions, if not actual purchases on the floor, and to decide future strategies that will, once again … ensure market share gain!

With this being said, GlassBuild America sure doesn’t sound like an event that I would want to miss!