By Matthew Spieler

Prior to Surfaces I was fortunate enough to attend the CarpetsPlus Color Tile convention. It has always been one of my favorite shows—for many reasons.

It’s a chance to spend time with some of the nicest folks in the industry... more

Las Vegas—Sometimes bigger is better. That was especially the case for Surfaces 2006, which saw its biggest show since starting out 17 years ago. Don Finkell, president of Anderson Hardwood Floors, told FCNews the market exceeded his expectations... more

Las Vegas—Surfaces 2006 certainly had its share of energy and excitement, and one of the places buzzing with activity was Floor Covering News’ booth on the main show floor where the publication kicked off its 20th anniversary celebration by giving away 20 portable DVD players during the three-day... more

Las Vegas—With 47% of its members’ sales coming from hard surface products, CarpetsPlus Color Tile officials stressed the importance of this part of the industry at the group’s Pre-Surfaces Convention... more

Kennesaw, Ga.—Surfaces 2006 will be the first stop for Solutia’s new Wear-Dated product development tool, “Road Show ’06.” Using just two yarn counts and three fiber systems, it created a mix-and-match grid of new carpet concepts... more

Alexandria, Va.—Industry markets are good places to go when one wants to increase professional knowledge as they tend to offer a wide array of educational and training sessions, and Coverings is no exception... more

Racine, Wis.—Alloc will not only be launching several products at Surfaces ’06, the laminate manufacturer is also using the market to give away “at least four” trips to Scandinavia. First the products. Alloc is enhancing a number of its lines, including Basic, Domestic and Original... more

Kenilworth, N.J.—Over the past couple of years LG Floors has quietly built a solid reputation among contractors. Even though the resilient company’s primary focus is the commercial segment, it has chosen Surfaces 2006 for its official unveiling, as all its distributors will be there... more

Orlando, Fla.—There were plenty of things for Mohawk’s ColorCenter dealers to smile about during their four days at convention here at the Gaylord Palms Resort, as the company let its retailers know, “We’ve Got the Goods,” in hopes that they, in turn, would let their customers know the same thing... more

Atlantic City, N.J.—Dealers from all across the Northeast came to see what new products and programs Shaw Industries had to offer as the mill kicked off its third annual event here, a two-and-a-half-day football-themed regional show at Caesar’s Resort & Casino... more