The International Fastener Expo announced a partnership with the European Fastener Distributor Association to bring participants from 11 European countries to the 2018 trade show.

IFE will be October 30-November 1, 2018, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

The EFDA represents 170 European-based companies with sales of topping 4 billion EUR (US$4.9 billion).

EFDA’s “Securing the Future” documentation describes the global fastener industry with great concern. “Our sector is no longer a simple ‘box-shifter’ that can adapt overnight to changes in the regulatory environment.”

“EFDA’s participation at IFE 2018 will help American interests understand how Europe has responded to the fastener industry’s globalization crisis, effectively managing an increasingly complex global supply chain shift,” IFE executive VP Karalynn Sprouse said.

IFE will expand its Global Source exhibit area for 2018.

IFE has had partnerships with domestic associations, including the NFDA, Pac-West, MWFA, SFA, SEFA and NCFA and media partners. Traditionally trade associations can receive a booth in exchange for endorsing a trade show.

IFE announced 80% of the 2017 exhibitors have renewed booth space and 12 first-time companies have booked booths. IFE is predicting 2018 attendance will again break records.

IFE has not announced specific registration figures, but declared “a record-breaking 5,000+ in attendance” for the 2017 trade show or a 26% increase over the past two years.

That 26% applied to the 2015 figure of 4,499 would make 2017 registration about 5,669.

New exhibitors for 2018 include American Belleville, Alpha USA, Clampco Products, Project Industries Inc., Enoch Precision Machining, Foerster Instruments, Eurolink FSS, LLC, Bar Stock Specialties, The DECC Company and PC Engineering.

For IFE information: FastenerShows.com

The 2018 IFE show will be concurrent with the automotive specialty products trade show, SEMA, which draws 70,000 participants.

Founded in Ohio in 1981 as the National Industrial Fastener Show, today IFE has about 70 product categories from machinery to fasteners. NIFS was acquired in 2015 by Emerald Expositions and subsequently renamed IFE.

Emerald owns 55 trade shows, including 31 of the top 250 U.S. trade shows as ranked by TSNN. Emerald Expositions claims more than 500,000 global attendees and 6.7 million sq ft of exhibition space. Web: EmeraldExpositions.com