AFA PUTS THE GIDDYUP IN THE INDUSTRY'S GALLOP AT FENCETECH 2017

It was a busy week in San Antonio, Feb. 1-5, 2017, as more than 4,300 AFA members and industry professionals pulled up their bootstraps and descended upon the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center for FENCETECH & METALfab 2017. This was the first time that AFA and NOMMA co-located their conferences, and by all accounts it was a rousing success. From sun up to sun down, AFA delivered all that members were looking for: 18 educational sessions, a stellar awards presentation, engaging networking events, and a robust exhibit hall. With more than 300 exhibitor booths to visit and over 70,000 square feet to cover, attendees made the most of each day on the show floor, talking with suppliers, gleaning information, checking out new products and having saddlebags of fun.

There was record attendance at the History in the Making party Friday evening, Feb. 3, where new friends were made and old friends reconnected. On Saturday, Feb. 4, Susan Colson, AFA’s 2017 president, took the stage at the association’s annual meeting and laid out her plans for the year: to help raise the level of professionalism of the fence industry and build a better image with consumers to give members an advantage over others. Following her presentation, AFA bestowed numerous awards to deserving industry professionals, member companies and chapters. Soon after, the keynote session began, with Steve Gilliland entertaining and motivating the crowd with his story of purpose, passion and pride. As he reminded the audience, "a single moment matters and can change the trajectory of a life."

There undoubtedly were many moments that mattered at FENCETECH & METALfab 2017. To learn more about all that the show offered, look for your copy of the March/April issue of Fencepost magazine.