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Sommelier Chris Fronsoe with DeaMor hosted a virtual wine tasting last night, sponsored by Groves Inc.
GlassCon Global VE-Glass Expo VE is giving attendees and exhibitors a chance to interact virtually in a way they haven’t been able to during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s also providing plenty of relevant industry educational seminars and networking events.
The first day of the show included two educational tracks, with a variety of session topics. Topics included: vacuum insulating glazing; closers for glass doors; sloped glazing replacement with BIPV; artificial intelligence for the glass industry; large format glass facades; protective coatings; the visual quality of glass in building anisotropies in heat treated flat glass; bird-safe buildings; interlayer mechanical properties for use in laminated glass design; structural sealant durability in cold bent glazing design; semi-probabilistic design of silicone adhesive joints; and advanced fire-rated glazing technology.
Live Q&A sessions were held during the day to allow attendees and fellow presenters to ask questions about the sessions. While the day began with the Run for Glass VE 5K, which benefited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, it ended with a virtual wine tasting, sponsored by Groves Inc. and led by the industry’s very own sommelier, Chris Fronsoe with DeaMor.
The Virtual Show Floor
The virtual show floor includes 80 booths with downloadable product materials and resources. Attendees also have the chance to chat with booth representatives live during show hours.
“This is definitely way nicer and feels like you are actually with people than the other online trade show versions,” said Karen Kubicko with Chelsea Building Products.
Stephanie Lesko with Group 22, Aluflam’s agency, added that she was “just roaming around checking out the booths,” much like you would at a traditional trade show.
Many exhibitors were excited to speak with attendees about their latest products, especially those related to the pandemic.
“It’s so much different than being live and looking at everyone’s products, but it is nice that they made it work even during these times,” said Leslie Vargas with PRL Glass. “The glass partitions have been in high demand especially since we started offering glass and plexiglass. We offer different configurations so costumers have multiple options to choose from. I am on the marketing side and it’s something we have been promoting the most.”
“The show is going well and we are very excited about our new machine, the FuseCube Express,” said Carl Christ, vice president of technical services for Diamon-Fusion International. “There does seem to be an uptick in interest for our coating due to COVID-19 but, interesting to note, we have been fortunate just to have sold our fifth Express, and all during the last six months!”
Morse Industries has also seen an impact on product demand due to COVID-19.
“Our focus when engaging with attendees is to let them know we are here for them in these uncertain times with the same passion and intensity and to provide excellent customer service. We also have a big focus on our life-saving safety shield products,” said Daniel Morales, customer service rep for Morse Industries, who added that the company has seen the biggest demand for these products in schools and retail spaces.
Scott Brown, regional sales manager, also with Morse, said the company saw a slowdown earlier in the pandemic but has seen sales steadily grow over the past few months.
“The commercial sector slowed a little but the residential made up for that,” he said. “… Luckily at Morse, our business is diversified over many industries and that helps us withstand big fluctuations in any given sector.”
Mary Hester, director of Banner Solutions, said her goal for the year was to continue to get the company’s name out there. COVID-19 also has impacted demand for certain products.
“Product-wise there has not been a ton of changes except for all the touchless products. We are offering many new products that are touch free … I am featuring the Assa Glass Solutions PDU exit device. Trimco has brought out a load of antimicrobial and touch free products that we are stocking,” she said. “We have further developed our auto operator offerings in order to help facilitate the hands-free options with many price and feature offerings.”
Shaun Gustafson, sales and special products manager for ClearShield Technologies said that ClearShield provides anti-microbial protection for glass surfaces.
“[It has] always been a highlight of ClearShield, but has become a key feature of the protection in 2020,” he said, adding that the show has been a great opportunity to adjust to today’s “normal.”
Ashley Price, director of diamond tooling for Salem Distributing Co., says the company plans to discuss in detail its new Thunder Cut drill line for automatic and manual CNC machinery.
“This new product line offers benefits such as longevity, high feed rates for increased production and improved rigidity,” she said.
Annissa Flickinger, global architectural manager at Vitro Architectural Glass said, “We are excited to introduce attendees to our Acuity low iron glass and Solarban 90 low-E glass.”
Mark Imbrock, vice president at EDTM, is focusing on the company’s Glass-Chek ELITE at his booth.
Mark Imbrock, vice president at EDTM, was excited to talk to attendees about its Glass-Chek ELITE, as it is always the most popular product at any trade show, and the best seller for the company.
Deceuninck North America had experts on hand all throughout the event to chat with attendees live about Innergy AP—a new line of custom commercial components. The company says the product is made from a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP), and delivers both structural strength and thermal performance. “It improves the thermal performance of commercial windows, doors, curtainwall and storefront systems without the need for a complete redesign,” the company states.
“This new offering is a natural extension of our Innergy reinforcements and demonstrates our team’s focus on innovation, reliability and sustainability,” said Gregory Koch, vice president of sales and marketing for Deceuninck North America. “We are delivering custom solutions to meet the heightened performance demands for today’s modern buildings.”
Registration is free and open through the end of the show today at www.glassexpove.com. The virtual event is co-organized by the Finishing Contractors Association International and USGlass and [DWM] magazines. Stay tuned to USGNN™ throughout the week for our continuing coverage.
