Another Season, A Lot More Trade Shows

It’s officially fall, and not just because the leaves have begun changing here in Virginia or, as my mom recently pointed out, candy corn is being sold at every grocery store, but because around every corner is another trade show.

This week I suspect some of you may be heading out to Metalcon, the annual conference and exhibition for the metal construction industry. I’m sure many of you reading this are getting ready for next week’s show out in Las Vegas and then many more are turning around to head to glasstec in Germany.

For both of these shows we’ll be looking to take our usual show coverage to the next level by adding to our daily USGNN.com reports and the reviews in the December USGlass with video interviews from the show floor. Exhibitors, let us know if you’re ready to let your product be the star on camera—and attendees, be sure to stop by booth 310 to let us—and our viewers—know what trends you’re seeing at the show. I can tell you from experience, it’s not quite as intimidating as it first may seem!

And for those of you heading out to glasstec for the first time—like me!—let me know as I’d love to talk to you in advance about your plans for getting the most out of this massive show.

Just beyond glasstec is the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in Boston. This show is a bit further off, but I’ve already been planning for it as I’m working on an article for the November USGlass about, what else, green products. I’ve been asking a number of people in our industry (and I’d love to get your input) the seemingly simple question: What does green mean to you? While we all may have a general idea of what a green product is, contributing editor Tara Taffera will be showing in the November issue that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is examining green claims in the building industry to see which can be supported and which are just claims being made to take advantage of this widespread green trend.

Not too far beyond Greenbuild is the annual Glass Expo Midwest, which you can read about in detail in the September USGlass.

Are there any other trade shows on your radar? Let me know by posting your comment here!