The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers has opened registration for the College of Woodworking Knowledge educational program at the 2023 AWFS Fair in Las Vegas.
The program is packed with speakers and topics to enlighten, inform and elevate your business practices and know-how.
Designed to meet the current needs of show attendees, the 55 classroom sessions will span topics to strengthen corporate culture and grow your workforce, enhance business management expertise, and increase knowledge of the latest technologies.
CWWK 2023 Educational Session Track Highlights
Business Management: Join leading speakers Steve Baker (Great Game of Business), Shawn Rhodes (Bulletproof Selling), Tom Shay (Success in a Challenging Economy), and Mark Harari (Website Audit) for in-depth high-value sessions to take your business to the next level. Hear from a panel of industry experts about the carbon story and how embracing it can help your company. Hear from industry insiders and leaders about lean engineering, pricing, management, digital marketing, and much more.
Workforce and Culture: The nine sessions in this track are intended to provide you with a comprehensive perspective on strengthening your corporate culture and your workforce. Educators John Stearns and Mark Smith will provide insight on working with schools to develop partnerships for future employees. A panel discussion on SkillsUSA will help you get involved in this thriving student organization. Industry leaders Kelly Victor-Burke, Doug Hague, Marc Sanderson, and Paul Downs will help you improve your culture and boost your employees. WCA leaders will show you how to start an in-house training program based on our industry’s skill standards.
Cabinet and Millwork: In addition to hosting speaker Steve Baker’s popular session on implementing The Great Game of Business, Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI) leaders will offer an in-depth discussion immediately following Steve’s session to share what implementation looks like in a wood manufacturing company. AWI members will also present sessions on leveraging manufacturing standards (FREE), small business management, attracting and retaining employees (FREE), engaging with SkillsUSA (FREE), and improving your safety protocols.
The Cabinet Makers Association (CMA) will once again host their popular “What’s Your Problem?” roundtable event (FREE) and will bring attendee-favorite speaker Paul Downs to discuss “defining your company culture”. CMA also offers sessions on investing in machinery (“spend money to make money”), transitioning to closets, starting an apprenticeship program, and pricing for profitability. Learn from experts about RTF (rigid thermofoil) laminates and how to ensure quality and have success using this new process.
Furniture: Join pros from the furniture industry to learn about product design and development and how to integrate more technology into your production, such as 3D printing and CNC routing. Hear from a star-studded panel including Scott Grove, Alison J McLennan, Matt Buell, and Dan Allaire about what it “really” is like to be a professional woodworker. Scott Grove will also offer a two-part intensive demo session on veneer techniques.
Software & Technology: Learn about investing in machinery, upgrading and maximizing your tooling, protecting your data, improving vacuum performance, and the Digital Twin and the Factory of the Future in these sessions.
Techniques and Applications: Finishing guru Diane Shattuck will return to help us demystify finishing failures, and expert Robert Chickey will discuss color strategies. Other finishing topics include batch finishing and HVLP spray finishing. Beyond finishing, learn about materials and surface trends and edge banding technology.
Teacher Track: The Teacher Track returns, with sessions specifically for woodworking educators. Topics for these seven sessions include shop safety, marketing your program, CNC training, collaborating with other educators, and teaching the WCA skill standards. AWFS® also offers discounted Fair and seminar registration for qualified teachers and students.
FREE CWWK sessions
Don’t miss these complimentary classroom sessions: Advance registration is required for all CWWK sessions:
• CMA’s “What’s Your Problem?
• SkillsUSA in the Wood Industry
• Employees: Your Greatest Asset. What are You Doing to Keep Them?
• The Carbon Denominator: If you Build it with Wood, the World’s Most Powerful Sustainability Story is Already Yours
• Leveraging Standards to Your Manufacturing Advantage
• Teacher Project Swap (for woodworking educators)
Woodworking Network Symposia
Woodworking Network presents two full-day symposia on Monday, July 24: The Closet Symposia and the CNC Bootcamp. All symposium attendees receive complimentary show registration and access to the 40 under 40 Reception on Monday evening.
All 2023 AWFS Fair education program information is accessible at, including complete session descriptions and speaker bios.
Increased Education on the AWFS Fair Live Show Floor Stage
Be sure to check the show app and website starting in June for more details about short-format educational sessions taking place on the AWFS Fair Live show floor stage (booth #4780). These will include WED Talks with innovators, Rapid Fire presentations with exhibitors, and a Speaker Lunch series featuring Dom Rubino, Dr. Chris Kuehl, and others. All sessions on the AWFS Fair Live show floor stage are complimentary and open to all attendees, additional advance registration is not required.
Register here.
