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Windoor turns 20 in style

Dec. 19, 2014 – The first storms of winter dropped six feet of snow on nearby Buffalo, N.Y., but even the threat of being trapped in Pearson Airport couldn’t keep fenestration professionals away from the critical conversations at Windoor 2014. Windoor, Canada’s trade show for the window and door industry, took place on November 18 through 20 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto. The show welcomed 2,618 window and door fabricators and dealers from across North America to three days of education and networking. 130 industry suppliers packed the show floor. Canada’s window and door association, Fenestration Canada, held important meetings and learning seminars.

Dec. 19, 2014 – The first storms of winter dropped six feet of snow on nearby Buffalo, N.Y., but even the threat of being trapped in Pearson Airport couldn’t keep fenestration professionals away from the critical conversations at Windoor 2014. Windoor, Canada’s trade show for the window and door industry, took place on November 18 through 20 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto. The show welcomed 2,618 window and door fabricators and dealers from across North America to three days of education and networking. 130 industry suppliers packed the show floor. Canada’s window and door association, Fenestration Canada, held important meetings and learning seminars.

The big story at Windoor 2015 was the celebration of the show’s 20th anniversary. Fenestration Canada handed out special awards to the five exhibitors who had exhibited at every show since the first one: Amesbury Truth, Novatech, the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance, Trimlite and Royal. The party included a performance by the Blus Brothers blues band. Windoor founder Jim Parker was on hand to see his baby all grown up.

Jim Parker and Richard Lipman of the Wood Manufacturing Council have been there since the beginning. Advertisement

“There was nothing back in those days,” remembers Jim Parker, Windoor founder. “CWDMA [the Canadian Window and Door Manufacturers Association] would have one seminar, a guest speaker talk about economy or something, that was about it. That part of the industry has changed dramatically and the scary part for the window and door industry, the small guys, is the cost of testing and labeling. And that is why they come here.”

“I personally believe that the trade and exhibition market is evolving,” said Skip Maclean of Tru-Tech Doors, Fenestration Canada president. “It is very important that Fenestration Canada and the Windoor committee understand these changes. We have some very astute folks and that is why the education program is becoming a more and more vital part of the show itself.”

Education seminars brought window and door fabricators and dealers up to speed on the latest codes and standards, especially the new North American Fenestration Standard for air and water ingress. This big change to how doors are approved is causing problems in some part of the country, but Windoor is one place the industry can go for solutions.

Steve Hopwood of Energy Star, Robert Rivard, Fenestration Canada executive director, and Jeff Baker of WestLab update attendees on the latest codes and standards.

Windoor 2015 returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre Nov. 3 to 5, 2015. Maclean is promising an exciting new approach for Windoor’s 21st edition. “Next year, I want a whole fresh show,” he said. “I want some upbeat, I want some pizzazz. It was heartily endorsed and there are some great people involved. I think what you are going to see is a whole fresh show next year.”