The prospects on the IWF - International Woodworking Machinery & Furniture Supply Fair haven't been fulfilled.
"We are still going through the attendance verification process. We know our registration numbers were down compared to our 2006 show", said Patrick LaFramboise, President & CEO of IWF 2008.
Inital counts indicate that IWF 2008 had 1,324 total exhibitors and 813,521 net square feet of exhibit space. The number of total visitors was 39,893 among them 18,993 buyers. Last number shows a dramatic loss compared to 2006 where 24,886 buyers were counted.
Seems that the producers of woodworking machinery have to expect heavy seas ahead on the US-market. "It's tough out there and we all know it but even during difficult times a show like IWF can find a way to turn a negative into a positve and propel the industry into new chartered waters for economic growth", commented Charles R. Tomkins, IWF 2008 Chairman and President of Cresent Fine Furniture Company, basded in Gallatin, Tennessee.
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