Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
AFSA37 Features Top Manufacturers, Suppliers in the Fire Sprinkler Industry
This is one event you don’t want to miss! AFSA37: Convention, Exhibition & Apprentice Competition is offering this year’s largest display of fire sprinkler products and services in the country! Visit Washington, DC and the top fire sprinkler industry manufacturers and suppliers September 30-October 3 at the Gaylord National Resort. This year’s event will feature 100 companies in 139 booths, 48 technical and managerial seminars, the 25th Annual National Apprentice Competition, fun-filled optional tours, and entertaining social events. This is four days with 600-plus decision makers, representing 200-plus contractor companies – a valuable opportunity to grow your business, your contacts and your knowledge!
Exhibit Hall Excitement Meet new faces and reconnect with friends as you visit companies from around the globe, each exhibiting innovative products and services in the industry. Leading manufacturers and suppliers will present the latest technology during two exhibit hall sessions: the ever-popular Chairman’s Reception on Tuesday, October 2 from 4:00- 7:00 p.m. and the unopposed exhibit hall afternoon Wednesday, October 3 from 12:30-3:30 p.m.
The Chairman’s Reception is the most anticipated event at AFSA’s annual convention. AFSA Chairman of the Board Wayne Weisz, Cen-Cal Fire Systems, Inc., Lodi, California, will host the reception and will offer the first look at this year’s exhibits. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails will be served as you visit with manufacturers and suppliers.
The next afternoon, the hall will open once again to attendees. The 25th Annual National Apprentice Competition sprinkler installation practical test will take place in the hall during this time and convention goers will be able to watch as the top seven apprentices cut, thread, and install a steel and plastic pipe system with sprinklers. Judges will perform a pressure test on each system and calculate points earned in this phase of the competition. You will have the opportunity to watch this competition to the end and decide for yourself who you think the judges will deem most successful.
Then join AFSA Wednesday night as we crown the National Apprentice Competition champion at a party in one of the hottest museums in DC. Considered one of the most interactive museums in the world, the Newseum has even levels with 15 galleries and 15 theatres. Exhibits include the 9/11 gallery, the Berlin Wall gallery, and the Pulitzer Prize Photographs gallery. Dinner is being catered by the internationally acclaimed chef Wolfgang Puck. A night of fun that includes dinner, drinks and live entertainment will cap off the convention. Be there to see to whose name is added to the AFSA Apprentice “Hall of Fame” plaque and takes home the top prize – the title of the nation’s top fire sprinkler apprentice and $5,000 cash.
Networking Night and Day In addition to the evening events where you will mingle and visit with industry peers, the days of AFSA’s convention are filled with opportunities as well! For contractors and exhibitors with an “all-access” registration, three hot breakfasts and three hot lunches are provided. Contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers can gather together to share ideas and share information on products while enjoying a great meal together. This meal offer is valid for one breakfast and one lunch per night reserved at the Gaylord National Resort in the AFSA group block.
Optional tours are another way to connect and have fun with fellow industry members. The Lincoln Assassination Tour will take from the White House to Ford’s Theater and other sites including the National Theater, Baptist Alley, Peterson Boarding House, Lafayette Square, Star Saloon, and the U.S. Treasury Building.
The Washington, DC highlights trip will entertain you with unique, historical, and entertaining facts about the nation’s capital. Travel by iconic DC memorials and buildings, with view of the White House, Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Smithsonian museums, and many more.
A historically trained private guide will lead the tour of the U.S. Congress and its two legislative bodies, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Guests will also be taken through the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court.
Finally, the Gaylord National Chef will delight all your senses in the Cooking Demonstration event. Held in the Old Hickory Steakhouse, the chef will focus on techniques of Modern Sous Vide, the French culinary trend, cooking “under vacuum.” Included is a meal of soup, two entrees, and a dessert.
Convention Headquarter Hotel Immerse yourself in an unrivaled stay at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Located on the Potomac River, just steps from the shopping and entertainment National Harbor is known for, this waterfront resort provides you with the best of both worlds. Bring the whole family to enjoy a ride on the Capital Wheel, while visiting MGM National Harbor® with the city’s complimentary circulator bus. Explore the Gaylord’s very own 19-story glass atrium, enjoy the fountain show, then make a splash of your own in the indoor pool. Satisfy your cravings at one of the seven onsite stylish eateries, and discover exotic cocktails and breathtaking views at Pose Lounge & Nightclub. The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center always provides a memorable stay! In addition, the entire AFSA room block is located in the Gaylord National Resort, just steps away from all meeting spaces.
The AFSA group rate for the Gaylord National Resort is $249 per night plus tax for a run-of-the-house room (limited availability). Reservations may be made online during the convention registration process at firesprinkler.org/AFSA37. Group rates are available for stays September 26-October 6, 2018, but reservations must be made by August 24, 2018 to assure AFSA convention rates. After August 24, 2018 room rates are based on availability. Be sure to ask booking agent to confirm your reservation includes both the resort fee and the complimentary internet.
Visit firesprinkler.org/AFSA37 now to make both hotel and convention attendance registrations at the same time. Be sure to register by the regular registration deadline of August 24, 2018, to secure the best rates before late registration prices go into effect. Mark your calendars, make your reservations, and join us in the nation’s capital!
AFSA37 Convention Exhibitors (as of June 6, 2018)
A-C Fire Pump Systems, Morton Grove, IL
AGF Manufacturing, Inc., Malvern, PA
ARGCO, Denver, CO
ASCO Power Technologies/Firetrol Brand Products, Apex, NC
Aleum USA., Anaheim, CA
American AVK Company, Minden, NV
American Backflow Products Co., Tallahassee, FL
American Fire Sprinkler Association, Dallas, TX
Anvil International, LLC, Exeter, NH
Armstrong Pumps, Inc., North Tonawanda, NY
Asurio, Inc., Broomfield, CO
Backflow Direct, LLC, Rancho Cordova, CA
BlazeMaster® Fire Sprinkler Systems, Cleveland, OH
Blue River Underwriters, Irving, TX
Buckeye Fire Equipment, Arlington, TX
BuildingReports, Suwanee, GA
Bull Moose Tube Company, Chesterfield, MO
C-Aire Compressors, Inc., Dresser, WI
CST Industries, Kansas City, MO
Center for Life Safety Education, Dallas, TX
Cintas Corporation, Mason, OH
Cla-Val Company, Costa Mesa, CA
Clarke Fire Protection Products, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
Core & Main Fire Protection, Rutherfordton, NC
Croker Division: Fire-End & Croker Corp., Elmsford, NY
Dixon Fire, Chestertown, MD
Doringer Cold Saws, Gardena, CA
Driven Fire Consultants, Sioux Falls, SD
Dropmaster by Gecco, Inc., Factoryville, PA
Dyne Fire Protection Labs, Woodbury, MN
EasyFlex, Inc., Garden Grove, CA
Eaton Industries (Canada) Co. – Fire Pump Controllers, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
Eaton Industries (US), Highland, IL
Elkhart Brass, Elkhart, IN
Engineered Corrosion Solutions, St. Louis, MO
Ferguson Fire and Fabrication, Mansfield, TX
Fire Tech Productions, Centerville, OH
General Air Products, Inc., Exton, PA
Globe Fire Sprinkler Corporation, Standish, MI
Guardian Fire Equipment, Inc., Miami, FL
HRS Systems, Inc., Petersburg, TN
Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, Frankford, IL
Hydratec, Inc., Windham, NH
ITW Sammys, Glendale Heights, IL
JG Innovations, Inc., Janesville, WI
Job Gmbh, Ahrensburg, IL
Johnson Controls, Inc., Lansdale, PA
Loos & Company, Inc., Naples, FL
M.E.P. Cad, Henderson, NV
MTH Pumps, Plano, IL
Milwaukee Valve Co., Inc., New Berlin, WI
MobileEyes (TradeMaster, Inc.), Troy, MI
NCCER, Alachua, FL\
NICET, Alexandria, VA
National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA
NextGen Initiative, Dallas, TX
Noble Company, Spring Lake, MI
nVent CADDY, Solon, OH
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Pace Machinery Group, Inc., Wasco, IL
Patterson Pump Company, Toccoa, GA
Peerless Pump Company, Indianapolis, IN
Permabond Engineering Adhesives, Somerset, NJ
PHD Manufacturing, Inc., Columbiana, OH
Polymer Molding, Inc., Erie, PA
Potter Electric Signal Company, St. Louis, MO
Reed Manufacturing Company, Erie, PA
Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Inc., Elmsford, NY
RIDGID, Elyria, OH
SPP Pumps, Inc., Norcross, GA
School of Fire Protection, Seneca College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Senju Fire Protection, Corporation, Irvine, CA
ServiceTrade, Inc. Durham, NC
Sigma Piping Products, Houston, TX
Smith-Cooper International/FPPI, Commerce, CA
South-Tek Systems, Wilmington, NC
Spears Manufacturing Co., Sylmar, CA
System Sensor/Honeywell Security and Fire, St. Charles, IL
Talco Fire Systems, Portland, OR
Texas Manufacturing Company, Whitesboro, TX
The Hose Monster Company, Lake Zurich, IL
The Metraflex Company, Chicago, IL
The Solberg Company, Green Bay, WI
The Viking Corporation, Hastings, MI
Tornatech, Inc., Montreal, Quebec, Canada
U.S. Saws, Tampa, FL
UL, LLC, Northbrook, IL
United Brass Works, Inc., Randleman, NC
United Fire Systems, Kenilworth, NJ
Valmont Industries, Valley, NE
Victaulic, Easton, PA
Viega, LLC, Broomfield, CO
Wheatland Tube Company, Sharon, PA
Wheeler-Rex, Ashtabula, OH
Wilkins (a Zurn Company), Paso
Hotel Reservation Alert! AFSA has been made aware of third-party vendors soliciting AFSA exhibitors and attendees posing as our housing vendor. These companies mislead you to think they are working on our behalf. Companies that use this tactic include Exhibitor Hotel Reservation Services (EHR), Global Housing, and National Travel Associates. They are not endorsed by or affiliated with AFSA or its show and entering into financial agreements with such companies can have costly consequences such as no hotel reservations and no free networking meals nor complimentary internet access. To receive full AFSA hotel benefits, you must book directly with the hotel by phone or using the link found on AFSA’s convention
