From the Editor

Bright Days Ahead

As a journalism major in college, I used to love the news.  A child of the 1970s and 80s, I came of age with cable television—first the “Superstations” of WGN Channel 9 in Chicago and WTBS Channel 17 in Atlanta, then CNN, ESPN, MTV…you get the ideas.

For every major national or global event, I would stay glued to the television and read every newspaper or magazine I could get my hands on. I chose print journalism when I went to college, which was phased out as I finished my studies and is now just “communications.”

I should have seen what was coming.

Honestly, I do not watch the news at all these days if I can help it. Gone are the days of “objective coverage.” Today, every story seems skewed to some agenda. It’s one reason I left the mainstream industry years ago—I deplore the click-obsessed leading headlines that have nothing to do what is actually being reported and the constant chasing of sensational stories rather than substantive, actual news.

But by now, most people are used to this “new normal,” and everyone seems used to the constant information bombardment from every angle. It’s all but become white noise.

Keeping up with industry news, I do see quite a bit of the national and international headlines. Most seem grim—rising interest rates, growing inflation, continued supply chain and labor market woes, oil production issues, war in Eastern Europe…the list goes on. All of these uncertainties threaten to damage the very industry about which we all care so much.

�It all made me feel so confident for the future of the industry and in the people leading the way.�

THE BRIGHT SIDE This year, I attended my first IWF Show in Atlanta. I was amazed at the sheer size of this event—I’ve been to other trade shows before, but this, with so many sprawling displays of futuristic technologies and equipment, was something else.

Companies told me they’d arrived the week before to start setting up—and the fact that they managed to build an entire production facility from the ground up in a convention center was incredibly impressive. Some took up nearly a city block of space with their mini factories, and I so enjoyed watching the production in action.

I visited as many booths as I could—difficult with only a few days and nearly 1,000 participants. And what most impressed me at the show wasn’t the specialized, high-tech machines and products (don’t get me wrong—those were stunning), but it was the optimism from everyone I met.

Company representatives were excited to see one another after a four-year break, and everyone was itching to show off what they’ve been working on and perfecting during that hiatus. It all made me feel so confident for the future of the industry and in the people leading the way.

Our Surfaces Reception at the Georgia Aquarium during the show was very well-attended and seemed to go off without a hitch. The refreshments and company were top-notch and all of the conversations I heard that night were positive and inspired pride in an industry that has many bright days ahead.

I feel lucky to be along for the ride.

Despite what anyone says, no one knows the future—not the news media, not the experts. All we can do is make our best, educated guesses and someone will be right. But whatever happens— good or bad—all we can do is prepare, rely on our own observations, and look to each other rather than news outlets for guidance.

Jennifer Williams, Managing Editor