Top Biennial U.S. Trade Show Set to Launch Regional Event in Odd YearsTop Biennial U.S. Trade Show Set to Launch Regional Event in Odd Years
IWF Atlanta—a North American trade show and conference for the wood industry—will debut a new regional trade show and conference serving the rapidly expanding West/Southwest marketplace in San Antonio.
September 26, 2025
The International Woodworking Fair (IWF) Atlanta, a biennial trade show serving the global woodworking industry, is launching IWF West, which will debut Aug 25-27, 2027, at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio.
Sponsored by the Wood Industry Association (WIA) and produced and managed by Atlanta-based IWF, the three-day event will serve both the burgeoning southwestern U.S. marketplace and IWF’s national customer base—from small shops to major manufacturers, according to IWF officials.
IWF Atlanta 2024 featured 371international Exhibitors representing 47 countries.
Looking back: The most recent IWF, held Aug. 6–9, 2024 at the Georgia World Congress Center, attracted 26,555 attendees and 1,118 exhibiting companies covering 740,982 net square feet of paid exhibit space.
Backstory: IWF West was created in response to growing exhibitor and attendee customer demand for a new trade show experience timed between the biennial IWF Atlanta stagings in even years and located in a major southwestern city central to Sunbelt business, according to show officials.
Zooming in: The new show will include a broad selection of educational and social and networking events similar to the Atlanta conference programming. Show organizers plan to bring a curated mix of manufacturers representing the best of IWF Atlanta plus new first-time exhibitors making their IWF debut, but they also pointed out that the new San Antonio event will also deliver its own unique blend of features and focus, separate and apart from Atlanta.
How it will work: According to the show organizers, IWF West will deliver a more relaxed show environment, in pace and scale, as well as customized business-building learning and professional development opportunities featuring wood products technology and design experts in an intimate setting geared toward education. The show floor will feature an extensive mix of machinery, machinery-related products and services, components, supplies and non-machinery related products.
The next IWF Atlanta trade show and conference is scheduled for August 25–28, 2026 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
IWF West will debut Aug. 25-27 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.
By the numbers: Initial reactions to IWF West have been strong, based on independent research conducted among IWF exhibitor and attendee customers by MMR Research, said show officials. In fact, among current IWF Atlanta exhibitors, 56% liked the IWF West show concept with 64% liking its key attributes such as the San Antonio location, accessibility for buyers and show duration. In research conducted among attendees, appeal was even stronger with 63% of buyers attending IWF 2024—the most recent Atlanta show—strongly endorsing the IWF West show idea.
Why San Antonio: The city is ideally located for easy access from throughout Texas as well as key western states like Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California, according to IWF officials. They said they selected San Antonio, in part, because of its airlift with service by every major airline in the country and accommodations with more than 48,000 hotel rooms, including 15,000 downtown and more than 4,000 within walking distance of the convention center.
Looking ahead: The next IWF Atlanta trade show and conference is scheduled for August 25–28, 2026 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Attendee registration opens Tues., March 3, 2026.
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