PERSPECTIVE: Fastener Shows Add More Web Features

John Wolz

Upcoming fastener-related trade shows are relying on the Internet more than ever before. Buyers guides, a year-round online show, convention city weather, technical forums and restaurant information are among the features of fastener trade show web sites.\
Not only can attendees and exhibit staff for the International Fastener & Forming International register online at iffiexpo.com for the show, but they can make hotel and travel reservations too.
In addition to promoting the June 5-7, 2001, show, the IFFI web site sells location. Attendees and exhibitors can learn about Cleveland attractions from museums, major league sports and historic districts to the Rock �n Roll Museum.
IFFI lists exhibitors and booth numbers.
The May 21-23, 2001, National Industrial Fastener Show & Conference in Columbus, OH, features online attendee registration and emphasizes that it is secured by VeriSign. Information from the schedule, directions and floor plan is available at fastenershows.com.
The Columbus exhibitors are listed, and exhibiting companies can register booth staff online.
The West version of NIFSCO includes Las Vegas weather information for the November 15-16, 2001, show.
Liza Peak, webmaster for the Columbus and Las Vegas shows, reports 27% of those attending last fall�s West show registered online and 35% of the exhibiting companies used the web for registering booth personnel.
IFFI show manager Barbara Silverman said a majority of registrations have come over the Internet. Thus far a total of 57% have registered online, 31% by fax and 12% by mail.
A search feature is being added for this year�s Columbus show to allow attendees to research products and services provided by exhibitors. Exhibitors can have hyperlinks for $25 for the Columbus show and $50 for Las Vegas.
There will be a question forum for the Las Vegas show allowing end users to post fastener application questions to be answered by exhibiting companies, Peak announced.
The June 20, 2001, Chicago Fastener Expo gives general show information on the Chicago Bolt, Nut & Screw Association web site, cbnsa.org.
Fastener Fair Excel, scheduled June 27-28, 2001, in London, has the floor plan, hotel booking and news available at fastfair.net.
Fastener Fair also offers a fastener buyers guide, which can be searched alphabetically by company, product categories or trade names. There also are job classified ads.
Much more than just show information for the May 13-17, 2001, Interwire Wire & Cable Manufacturing Week is available at the Wire Association International�s web site, wirenet.org. The Wire Association International has long owned its own show and financed many industry programs with it. Now the show has been expanded to a 24/7 year-round online trade show as WCexpo.com.
For those attending the traditional Interwire show in Atlanta, not only is there online registration but links to the convention center, airport, airlines, Atlanta restaurants and weather information as well.
The full speakers schedule and trade show information and exhibitor list for the November 11-13, 2001, Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association 24th annual convention are on stafda.org.
Just as wirenet.org provides association information, most of the stafda.org site is oriented toward the organization�s programs, including surplus inventory and lending library listings.

General information on fastener trade shows around the world is available by clicking on �Trade Shows� on our home page.
�2001 FastenerNews.com