One of America’s leading trade shows for the forest products industry, featuring 200+ indoor and outdoor exhibits, educational sessions, and equipment demonstrations, is taking place in Doswell, Virginia at the Meadow Event Park from April 12-13th, 2024. Over the years, East Coast Sawmill and Logging Equipment Exposition – commonly known as EXPO Richmond/The Richmond Show – has become the largest trade show on the East Coast for the forest products industry. It will feature live equipment demonstrations and a physical equipment showcase by Baker Products, Viking Engineering, Go Fast Manufacturing, Max Board Feet, Pallet Chief, Wood-Mizer and more.
Lesley Moseley, VFPA executive director, explained the motivation behind the decision. She said, “The Meadow Event Park is situated on a beautiful piece of property in the countryside with plenty of room for the EXPO to grow. It has more modern building capabilities and will provide for a better experience for both exhibitors and visitors.”
The new venue is just minutes from Richmond and Fredericksburg and a short drive from Metro DC and Hampton Roads areas. Meadow Event Park will offer plenty of indoor and outdoor spaces for our exhibitors to continue to provide active product and machinery demonstrations while giving a unique “hands-on” experience for our attendees.
EXPO Richmond regularly attracts 6,000+ attendees from all over the world and brings thousands of serious buyers looking for the latest machinery and technology in the forest products industry. This year’s event features over 200 exhibits, live demonstrations, educational sessions and more.
The Meadow Event Park is where the Virginia State Fair is held and nearby is Kings Dominion amusement park. Hotel accommodations can be found nearby in Ashland, the Virginia Center Commons area (where the Bass Pro store is located), Bowling Green, and a little further west in the Short Pump area. EXPO Richmond is sponsored by the Virginia Forest Products Association (VFPA) and Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.
The show organizers are excited about the potential of the new venue. Moseley added, “From costs to flexibility for special side events, such as sponsored hospitality areas, the new location will be a better fit for the association, exhibitors and even visitors.”
During the EXPO, some of the educational opportunities include a log loader competition, chipper and grinder demonstrations, and a SHARP logger training class. Before the show, the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) will be offering an “Introduction to Hardwood Grading” class, April 8-11th at the Meadow Hall. This class will be offered in both English and Spanish. The workshop will provide yardmen, sawyers, edgermen, sales staff, managers and others with a solid introduction to hardwood lumber grading. To register for this class visit, contact b.richards@nhla.com.
In addition, the Virginia Tech Forest Products Innovation and Technology Summit includes a class on the “Basics of Pallet Design and Performance” and “Lumber Drying for Small Operators.” The pallet design course takes place on Thursday, April 11th, and will be taught by Eduardo Molina, Ph.D. The course will cover the basic concepts for the proper design of wooden pallets. Using the Pallet Design System™ (PDS), the most commonly used software in the pallet industry, attendees will learn how to design a pallet and optimize its structure to reach their goals. The course will cover how different material and fastener choices will impact pallet performance and how different load support conditions impact how much load a pallet can carry as well as how pallets, packaging and material handling equipment interact in the supply chain.
Brian Bond, Ph.D., a regular Pallet Enterprise contributor and extension specialist, will be teaching the lumber drying class on Thursday afternoon as well. Attendees will learn about what you need to consider as a small operator getting into lumber drying. How do I determine the market potential? How long does it take to dry lumber? What should I consider when looking into different kiln types? Should I air-dry first or go straight into the kiln? This class will cover the lumber drying basics, different types of kilns and their capabilities/limitations, avoiding defects and the basics of controlling the drying process. To register for either of these classes offered by Virginia Tech faculty, visit https://sbio.vt.edu/for-the-community/short-courses/richmondexpo.html.
Also, this year a jobs fair will be offered on Saturday in conjunction with the show. Called the Virginia Forest Trails Initiative, the jobs showcase is held April 13th from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Meadow Hall. The event is open to high school juniors and seniors and anyone wanting to learn more about education and careers in the forest products sector. To register, contact vaforesttrails@gmail.com.
Don’t wait to make your plans to attend. And be sure to drop by our booth at 401 to chat about the latest trends and issues in the industry.
Register in advance for cheaper tickets and to avoid longer lines on the day of the event. Register online at www.exporichmond.com or call (804) 737-5625.
The following Pallet Enterprise advertisers will be on display at EXPO Richmond
Supplier/Booth Number
Alliance Automation (1101)
Automated Machine Systems Inc
(330)
Baker Products (A1)
Boulware Equipment, LLC (204)
Brewer Machine and Parts, LLC
(521)
Bright Star Auctions (704)
Carolina Inspection Services, Inc
(206)
Cooper Machine Company, Inc (510)
Go Fast Manufacturing (Pavilion)
ISK Biocides Inc. (202)
Jerry’s Resharp Inc. (305)
Kiln-Direct (A15)
Max Board Feet (A5)
Michigan Fastener (723)
Midwest Machinery & Automation
(1008)
Nyle Dry Kilns (212)
Pallet Chief Mfg (A8)
Pallet-Track (302)
Pallet Machinery Group (514)
Pendu Manufacturing Inc. (410)
Profile Technology Inc (318)
Rotochopper, Inc. (D11)
Sering Sawmill Machinery (617)
SII Dry Kilns (102)
Viking Engineering & Development
(Arena)
Viper Industrial Products (F15)
West Plains Resaw Systems (512)
White & Company LLC (405)
Wood-Mizer LLC (B1)
