NTA Promotional Activities 2004

The American Flock Association completed a successful exhibit at the 2004 Auto Interiors Show in Detroit May 19th and 20th. The AFA was one of over 100 exhibitors at the show and had the opportunity to introduce the capabilities of fiber-coating technology to designers and engineers as well as to establish contacts for member follow-up with auto and related industry visitors who expressed needs and interest in fiber-coating.

While the show itself ran for two days rather than three and was smaller than in the previous year, it seems to have also become more concentrated on interior materials so that the booth personnel felt that the quality of the contacts and discussion was still high. We did see a general awareness of fiber-coating but found that many visitors were not aware of the higher level of styling and performance that is available today with fiber-coating.

Thanks to Paul Rossomme, Megan Schultz, Lee Oppenhuizen, John Gietzen, Maureen Owen, Mike Greeley, Andy Honkamp and Alex Fergus for providing samples and their valuable time in manning the booth.

NTA's American Flock Association exhibited members' products at Automotive Interiors Expo, May 19-20, in Detroit, Mich.

NTA's American Flock Association exhibited members' products at HD Expo 2004, April 29-May 1, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The purpose of the exhibition was to educate designers, specifiers, and buyers in the hospitality and assisted living markets about the properties and performance of flocked products. The AFA booth featured flocked upholstery fabrics and flocked blankets and showed the flexibility of the technology with materials, color, print, and finishing techniques.

There were 68 documented leads from visitors to the booth, with interest expressed especially for the flocked blankets, flock-on-flock look, embossed textures, and print designs. Many of the visitors were concerned about the ability to treat fabrics for fire retardance, water repellency, stain resistance, and anti-microbial properties, all of which are important in these markets. Visitors to the booth represented a diverse group of designers, hotel owners, large companies or small business owners.

Many of the designers we talked to were unfamiliar with flocked fabrics but reacted favorably to fabrics exhibited. Our booth staff felt that it was the ideal situation of having an audience that was not familiar with our products but eager to learn and that this market is worth pursuing as the features and benefits of flock fit well into the needs of the market. Other fabric exhibitors at the show stressed performance in the areas of stain repellency and anti-microbial treatment, with branded treatments and branded component materials a major part of the marketing message.