SHOW PREVIEW: Against a backdrop of international tariff intrigue, North America’s International Fastener Expo is sure to be an important opportunity for the fastener and related industries to come together to take stock of what the future holds for the market…
North American’s long-running fastener show is returning to the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre at the earlier time this year of 17-19 September.
It will be the second time the International Fastener Expo (IFE) has run at the Mandalay Bay and the 38th time the show, formerly known as NIFMSE, has taken place.
This year you can expect the same blend of show stands, conferences and features with a few significant tweaks, not least a focus on India. The South Asian nation has been selected as IFE’s Global Spotlight Country, an initiative launched in 2018 and giving participating exhibitors of the selected country the opportunity to display their products in the Global Spotlight area on the show floor.
Networking and a focus on the people of the industry will continue to be pivotal to International Fastener Expo. Nominees are now being accepted for IFE’s established Hall of Fame and Young Fastener Professional of the Year Awards, which annually honour professionals who have made significant contributions to the fastener industry.
Open to professionals aged 40 or younger, the Young Professional of the Year is awarded to executives who already have a record of integrity and respect in the fastener industry. Meanwhile, the Hall of Fame recognises professionals who have made lasting impacts on the fastener industry on a national or global scale, including - but not limited to - inventors, business leaders, educators and more.
The 2018 winners of the Hall of Fame were Bob Sachs of XL Screw Corporation and Robbie Gilchrist of Capital Marketing, while the 2019 winners of the Young Fastener Professional Award were Peggy Hsieg and Jun Xu of Brighton-Best International.
Tariffs, training & technology
As an industry show, IFE is a great opportunity for businesses to come together and share knowledge and insight, and 2019’s robust conference schedule will highlight on technology, leadership and business management - as well as the tariffs that have been making international headlines.
The Fastener Training Institute is expected to return with the Fastener Technology Workshop, presented by Bengt Blendulf, EduPro US, Inc, on questions typically from engineers and technicians, including product standards and materials, heat treatment, quality issues and more.
Darryl Rowinski, president, Business Credit Management Association, will come back to lead the Controllers, Accounting, Credit & Accounts Receivable Managers Meeting, a roundtable discussion with primarily financial managers on maximising cash flow, providing effective financial services, and other critical business topics.
“In addition, our attendees at IFE can always expect to be kept in the know on everything happening in import and export law, tariffs, trade regulations and the like,” said Karalynn Sprouse, Executive Vice President, Emerald Expositions. “Last year, we secured Vanessa Sciara, Vice President for legal affairs and trade and investment policy at the National Foreign Trade Council. In keeping with tradition, we have secured another expert strategist to provide the most current and timely information on regulations that directly affect the fastener industry and beyond.”
Past topics have also included talks from experts on California’s Prop 65, 3D printing and e-commerce essentials.
Fundamentally fasteners
At its core, IFE brings together 5,000 attendees and 850 exhibiting companies from the entire supply chain, including manufacturers, master distributors, distributors, and OEMs. VIP attendees at IFE are consistently included in Industrial Distribution’s Big 50 List and exhibitors are among the top international and domestic manufacturers, material suppliers, tooling and machinery providers and ancillary services.
I.G. Marston Co, Halder Inc, Poly Extrusions Inc, Winzer Corp and AITMAC, Inc will be exhibiting at IFE 2019 or the first time.
New for IFE 2019 is the introduction of preview hours, Wednesday 17 September. Opening from 8 am to 10 am, attendees and US suppliers will have the opportunity to meet with manufacturers in Machinery and Tooling and international exhibitors in SourceGlobal in Exhibit Hall E. The Exhibit Hall D will open at 10 am to 4 pm and resume normal show hours on Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm.
Registration is now open at www.fastenershows.com for International Fastener Expo (IFE) 2019. IFE 2019 will take place on September 17-19 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Bayside D & E, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
