Surfaces 2008

We're just back from Surfaces.

It's the only event of its kind bringing together in one place the floor covering industry -- retailers, installers, flooring manufacturers [hard and soft], fiber producers [like Solutia's Wear-Dated carpet fiber], educators and suppliers to the industry. It takes place every year in late January/early February in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It's massive -- in terms of scale, new product introductions, and learnings. If you don't believe me, then check out Surfaces - New Product Pavilion, Dal Tile at Surfaces 2008, and Live from Surfaces 2008!

I'm still breathless from the event.

I got to spend time with Floor Talk!'s Shannon Bilby. We've only met virtually until now, and it felt as if we had known one another forever. She has a glorious appreciation for flooring of all kinds, and the magic that the perfect floor can bring to home design [those are her posts above].

I soaked up as much as possible from the educational sessions [if you're interested, check out Flooring The Consumer where I'll share my learnings] and the retail experiences that Las Vegas has to offer [see Las Vegas and FAO Schwartz].

I took lots of photos of our booth and exciting product introductions.

I also got to meet with the folks over at the Carpet and Rug Institute to learn more about their programs so I can share them with you here.

All in all, a good week's worth of carpet related wisdom! And a promise to share the details, including photos, with you very shortly...

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