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FABTECH Intl. & AWS Welding Show attracts more than 21,000

The first FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show to take place in the Southeast recently concluded at Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center. The three-day show represented the largest showcase of metal forming, fabricating, tube and pipe, and welding equipment and technology in North America this year. More than 21,000 attendees from around the world visited the show to evaluate, purchase, and explore innovative technologies. A total number of 873 companies exhibited at the 2006 event, taking over 300,000 net square feet of exhibit space. This represents a more than six percent increase in the total number of exhibiting companies over the 2005 FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show in Chicago.

Mark Hoper, FMA show manager, said, "The move to Atlanta from a traditional Midwestern region was a culmination of many factors, including input from exhibitors and extensive research to determine new markets of metal fabricators and welders that had previously never been to our event." "We are very pleased with the turnout in Atlanta, which far exceeded our expectations," said John Catalano, SME show manager. "The positive response and high level of excitement at this year's event clearly indicates the strength of manufacturing, not only in the Southeast but also around the globe," added Jeff Weber, AWS show manager.

Next year, the FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show returns to McCormick Place in Chicago. The show is scheduled for November 11 – 14, 2007. More than 90 percent of the available exhibit space for 2007 has already been sold. Over 900 exhibiting companies and nearly 30,000 attendees are expected. More information will be available in the coming months.

The FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show is cosponsored by the American Welding Society (AWS), the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA), and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). To obtain more information about either the 2006 or 2007 show, call 800-443-9353 (AWS), 800-432-2832 (FMA) or 800-733-3976 (SME).