Just over 25,000 visitors on four days of the fair

Here they are at last, the official figures for the “International Woodworking Fair” (“IWF”) 2022, held August 23-26 at the “Georgia World Congress Center” (GWCC) in Atlanta: North America’s largest woodworking trade show and conference, exhibits occupied a total of 663,000 square feet of exhibit space in the three GWCC buildings, A, B and C, totaling 1.2 million square feet of space. Included were more than 900 exhibitors offering machinery, accessories and services in more than 540 product categories.

After a Corona-related four-year hiatus, the 2022 show registered a total of 25,524 visitors from every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and 92 other countries and provinces. Amazingly, 48 percent of attendees traveled to Atlanta for the first time to attend “IWF.” A clear indication that much has changed in the industry in recent years.

Highlights of the “IWF” were certainly the announcement of the winners of the “IWF Challenger Award” on August 23. Bacci America, Biesse America, Felder Group USA, Northtech Machine, Salice, Cameron Automation and Topp Line ultimately emerged victorious from the 86 entries. A jury of experts had previously named 20 finalists from which the winners were chosen. The first “Night At The Tabernacle” on Wednesday was also very well received by exhibitors and participants at the show. 1,000 visitors enjoyed this “IWF” party, the largest single event in the history of the show to date.