SHOW NEWS: Conferences Spur Fastener Week Interest

John Wolz

“The scope and breadth of the conference sessions seems to be really attracting attention,” Rob Harris of the Industrial Fasteners Institute said of Fastener Week 2005.
“There is much, much more take-home value than from any previous shows and it’s coming from a lot of sources,” Harris added.
An eight-page brochure is being mailed to 15,955 U.S. addresses plus “targeted fastener industry parties in 84 countries,” Harris reported. There will be a second mailing in late April, he added.
In addition to both manufacturing and distribution trade shows Fastener Week includes 19 events from industry-wide speakers, education programs, association meetings, networking opportunities, social and golf events in the Chicago area. There are more than 45 hours of educational and management sessions.
“It’s a show put on by the industry, for the industry, and to the benefit of the industry,” the show promoters declared in an official brochure. “The economic return from the event goes right back into the industry to support further technical and standards work, government affairs advocacy on behalf of the industry and scholarships in the industry.”
Most of the June 6-9, 2005, events are at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
The distribution-oriented Mid-West Fastener Show will be on Tuesday and Wednesday. The manufacturing-oriented Industrial Fastener & Forming International will be Tuesday through Thursday.

The official hotels are the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare at $93 and the Hyatt Regency O’Hare at $130. Other connected hotels listed on Hotels.com include the Doubletree O’Hare and the Sofitel O’Hare, both at $199.
Fastener Week programs begin Sunday, June 5, with Fastener Technology International’s Coldheading 101 course. Sessions during the week include: Los Angeles Fastener Association’s Dimensional & Material Specifications course; IFFI workshops on world materials supply, logistics, industry outlook and standardization of electronic bidding; Fastener Technology International sessions on fastener treatment and Distribution 101; Industrial Fasteners Institute membership meetings; FastenerNews.com’s “How to Buy Fasteners” workshop for distribution purchasing staff; Fastener Industry Coalition meeting; National Fastener Distributors Association luncheon with economist Peter Anderson as keynote speaker; a Mid-West Fastener Association dinner cruise on Wednesday and 53rd annual golf outing on Thursday. A Department of Commerce speaker will be announced later for the IFI’s industry-wide breakfast on Wednesday.
For IFFI information contact show manager John Slater. Tel: 203 318-9473 Fax: 203 318-9473 Email: TM2Slater@aol.com For Mid-West Fastener Expo information contact M-WFA executive director Nancy Rich. Tel: 847 438-8338 Email: mwfa@ameritech.net Web: FastenerWeek.com or industrial-fasteners.org \ �2005 FastenerNews.com