July 2023 – it was hot in the desert, but nothing compared to the Society of Wood Manufacturers (SWM) exhibit at the 2023 AWFS Fair®. Members from the Inland Woodworkers showed up in full force to assist SWM with their Make & Take booth, and with the mallet giveaways, raffle prizes, and laser-cut punch-outs, the booth was a big hit!
The AWFS Fair is a biennial event that unites the woodworking industry, bringing together machinery manufacturers and equipment suppliers with woodworkers of all natures, including construction, cabinetry, remodeling, and hobbyists. This year, it took place July 24-28th in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
SWM (https://www.awfs.org/education/swm/) is a Southern California networking group sponsored by AWFS, tasked with connecting industry members, students, and high-school shops to promote the future of woodworking in California. SWM advances woodworking careers in Southern California and fund-raises for local high school woodworking shops. Their booth was located in the northwest section of the hall:
Running a successful booth requires the support of many individuals. SWM President and IW friend Saúl Martín led the effort by managing and participating in the daily booth operations. He was assisted by Inland Woodworkers President Mike Trejo, Secretary Michael Miller, Vice-President Rick DuVall, and IW members Chris Thomas, Rick Reimer, and RJ Monsma. These individuals were instrumental in the set-up, daily operations, and take-down of the booth. Pictured below, L to R: Michael Miller, Kenneth Thomas, Rick Reimer, Mike Trejo, and Chris Thomas.
IW member Chris Thomas (pictured below on the left), showed up early to assist with the SWM booth set-up.
There were hundreds of booths at the fair, and attracting visitors to the SWM booth posed a challenged. Armed with knowledge about attendees and swag, SWM chose to run a “make & take” event, whereby participants could participate in assembling a wood mallet. So, prior to the event, IW club members made 500 mallets for the giveaways.
Fairgoers who registered at the SWM booth were given a mallet handle and two-part head. They were able to have their handles engraved, thanks to the Paton Group (https://patongroup.com), who shared a booth with SWM. They brought a laser engraver to the fair, and Brad Roa (pictured on the left below) spent four days personalizing the mallet handles for AWFS participants.
Once the participants were engaged with the mallet activities, IW members explained the purpose of SWM and encouraged them to get involved personally or through their company. The team gathered 375 leads, many of whom were interested in assisting SWM in future activities.
IW members also seized the moment to engage participants in the SWM fund raiser. Club member Chris Thomas made four Corellian Freighter chip & dip bowls that were used as grand prizes for the daily SWM raffle. Each person registering at the booth was given a raffle ticket in exchange for their business card information. Fairgoers could also purchase additional tickets to improve their chances of winning a prize.
Ticket holders gathered at the SWM booth at the end of each day to find out if they were the lucky winner. Contestants were required to be in attendance for the raffle, and on the first day, 12 numbers were called out before a winner was found. Sadness came to those 11 who missed on claiming their prize, foregoing a golden opportunity. But word got out, and for the next 3 days, all traffic in the vicinity of the SWM booth came to a halt at raffle time due to mass gatherings of excited ticket holders.
IW Past-President Kenneth Thomas made a surprise appearance and ran the Friday raffle.
Congratulations to the daily winners!
In addition to the chip bowls, the raffle included flashlights and cutting boards donated by the Paton Group. They brought a CNC machine, which they operated during the fair. The machine was configured to cut CNC carved sculptures, many of which were donated to the SWM raffle.
The Inland Woodworkers also brought laser-cut knock out toys which were sold to raise funds for the Skills USA California Cabinet Making and Intro to Woodworking competitions.
The club sold several laser-burned Corellian Freighters and space fighters, and combined with the raffle, the SWM booth raised $2,135! Some of the proceeds going to SkillsUSA California will be used to offset the cost of woodworking contest prizes, including registration for the California Cabinet Maker Gold Medalist to attend the National Championships competition. The remainder will be used for ongoing SWM education initiatives, including Manufacturing Day events, upcoming training events like the Teachers CNC Training Day, and other activities to support students and teachers.
On Wednesday, July 26, Bridge City Tools hosted an after-party event at the MGM Grand Hotel. Club president Mike Trejo used this opportunity to meet several internet celebrities and share with them the activities of the Inland Woodworkers. The following individuals graciously accepted Mike’s request to help promote the IW club and its charitable efforts in toy making for local kids.
Pictured above: Mike with Matt Outlaw, 731 woodworks (https://www.731woodworks.com)
Pictured above: Mike with Sadie Mae John, The Awesome Orange (https://www.theawesomeorange.com/)
Pictured above: Mike with Mathew Peech, (https://matthewpeech.com/)
If you missed the fair this year, you missed a great opportunity. But don’t fret, it will be back in Vegas in 2025. IW members will be needed again to support the SWM booth, so mark your calendars now!
The following images were provided by AWFS and Vertex Photography:
