READY TO GO
Have you ever watched an ant colony work? That’s what today was like on the FABTECH show floor. A buzz of forklifts, crates, carpet being laid, signs begin hung. A mass of people working feverishly to bring 350,000 sq. ft of exhibit space to life. Arriving early in the morning, you can see the show floor slowing taking life. There are some massive booths at this show. Trumpf and Mazak, for example, have constructed what I’d term “small” cities. Set up for these exhibitors began a week ago! Most of my day was spent in Hall B, setting up CCAI’s booth and chatting with our Finishing exhibitors setting up as well. Hall B houses the finishing, forming, fabrication and pipe and tube sections. To see the welding and thermal spray areas, you have to head to Hall C. I didn’t get there today but I will before the show is over. Lots of great things to see over there as well.
Service from Freeman, the decorator, has been fantastic. Anything that was needed was attended to promptly. Slowly but surely, the Finishing Pavilion is coming to life. Machinery starts to run, final touches are being put on booths, aisle carpet is being laid.
It’s hard to imagine all that goes into setting up a show of this size. I was curious so I asked a few questions:
How many pounds of freight has been shipped in by exhibitors for the show floor? A staggering 7 million pounds of freight!!!!
How many laborers does it take to set up the show and tear it down? Approximately 2,000 and that doesn’t include exhibitors who do a lot of the work themselves. These are folks that lay power, gas & air lines; hang signs, move freight, lay carpet, vacuum, deliver plants, etc.
When you stop to think about it, it is hard to imagine that such a big show can come together in just a week.
But here we are! On the eve of the show opening. We are very excited to be a part of FABTECH and very anxious to see what tomorrow brings. Stay tuned!
TODAY'S PHOTOS
CCAI'S BOOTH NEARLY SET UP
IT'S A LONG WAY ACROSS HALL B....AND THIS IS ONLY ABOUT 2/3RDS OF IT!
MIKE GALLAGHER OF THERMA-TRON-X HAS EVERYTHING READY TO GO
THE SHOW FLOOR COMES TOGETHER
