Las Vegas—With floor space sold out, attendance at an all-time high and a top-notch educational conference, Surfaces 2006 is on track to be a record-breaking event. This year’s market will have more manufacturers, special exhibits, educational training sessions along with a host of other activities designed to improve your bottom line. The exhibit floor will be open from Feb. 1 to 3, at the Sands Expo & Convention Center.

“Not only is the number of exhibiting companies up 7% from last year, attendee registrations are also well ahead of last year,” said Michelle Troop, senior show director. “With the pace we are seeing, we expect to set new records for both exhibitors and attendees. “Surfaces is the most important event of the year for serious floor covering professionals. Our goal each year is to provide visitors with the largest offerings of new products, new suppliers and new ways to grow their businesses, and this year is no exception,” she added.

“The floor covering industry is experiencing a robust period at this time and there is a high level of optimism about what the year will bring,” noted Chris Davis, president and CEO of the World Floor Covering Association ( WFCA), the official sponsor of Surfaces. “This upbeat feeling throughout the distribution channel, coupled with some stylish and innovative new products to be showcased, promises to make Surfaces 2006 the must attend event for anyone in the industry.”

While the vast majority of companies converging on Vegas will be flooring related, Surfaces’ management recognized that a growing number of specialty stores have developed into more of a one-stop home decorating source. Because of its successful debut last year the Window/Wall Coverings pavilion will once again offer new profit centers to those wishing to expand their businesses.

Sponsored by Draperies & Window Coverings magazine, the exhibit will feature leading manufacturers such as B&W Manufacturing, Danmer Custom Shutters, E-Z Decorators, Timber Blind & Shutter and many others. “Attendees will have more choices than ever with all these new exhibitors and products,” Troop said. “This show will prove to be a tremendous experience for them as they make their business plans for the coming year. “Surfaces is not only about products,” she added.

“It can help attendees improve their businesses in a variety of ways whether they are a specialty dealer, salesperson, installer, designer, distributor, architect or builder.” The Educational Conference Program sponsored by Mannington Mills, is one of the ways Surfaces can help improve business. It features 42 training sessions, including a full-day of hands-on workshops. These three-hour workshops take place Jan. 31, one day prior to the show floor opening.

Then, the traditional 90-minute seminars run through the three-day event. Once again Floor Covering News is taking an active role in the Conference Program as four of its columnists—Warren Tyler, Lew Migliore, Kelly Kramer and Scott Perron—will be leading sessions.

In addition, Tyler and Migliore will each host a three-hour workshop. Migliore will speak on “Why Floor Products Fail,” while Tyler will talk on “The Power of Motivational Management.” For the 90-minute sessions, Tyler, Kramer and Perron will hold seminars. On Wednesday, Perron will host “Advanced Marketing for Retailers: R2R.” Thursday will see Tyler discuss “HighImpact Selling (How to Separate Your Store from the Competition),” and, on Friday, Kramer will show attendees “The ABCs of Selling.”

For a complete list of seminars and speakers, visit www.surfaces.com. Many of the sessions will qualify for WFCA’s Certified Flooring credits along with other continuing education units (CEUs) from numerous design associations. In addition, WFCA will offer all three Industry Certification Exams —Certified Flooring Executive (CFE), Certified Flooring Sales Consultant (CFS) and Certified Flooring Professional (CFP)—on Friday morning at 10 a.m. in rooms 206 and 207 on the ground floor. The exams include 50 multiple-choice questions and require an hour-and-a-half to complete.

The National Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) is also adding its expertise by hosting “Building Relationships By Helping Your Customers Make Money.” The session is offered Thursday morning from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. There is a fee of $89 for non-members to attend.

Additionally, the organization will be presenting exclusive mini-seminars facilitated by Michael Marks, a principal partner of Indian River Consulting. Members will have a chance to discuss key industry topics with their peers. Surfaces will once again put the focus on quality installation through its Installation Showcase. The seven one-hour sessions will take on some of the more common flooring installation issues as well as introduce new techniques and processes during live, how-to demonstrations on the show floor.

“This is a must-attend for all retailers and installers,” noted Troop. “The live demonstrations provide an up-close opportunity to learn the time-saving, quality-enhancing techniques of top industry experts as they install a variety of floor covering products during the show.” Top installation experts such as Jim Walker, Dave Gobis and others will meet face-to-face with participants to show them the latest installation methods on carpet, wood, laminate, tile, stone, resilient and even mixed media.

“The demonstrations and sessions are designed to help flooring professionals prevent mistakes and increase productiv ity and profits in their stores,” said Troop. Even though Surfaces is geared to assist the attendee improve his bottom line, there is also a great deal of fun built into the event. For instance, Hanley Wood Exhibitions, Surfaces’ owner, has partnered with 17 of the market’s exhibitors to give away a new Harley-Davidson Street-Bob motorcycle to one lucky attendee.

To participate, show goers must have their identification cards swiped at one of the Promotional Partners’ booths. One winner will be chosen from the entries submitted on the last day of the show. For complete details on all the events and features at Surfaces ’06 or to register, visit www.surfaces .com or call 800/547-3477.