FGIA recently announced the opening of registration for this fall’s Insulating Glass (IG) Fabricators Workshop! We are thrilled to once again be able to host this popular industry event in-person. We know the value of this predominantly hands-on, participatory event and what an incredible learning experience it is. The event will take place November 3-5 at the Intertek facility in Plano, TX. Registration is now open until October 8. Only a few of the available 32 spots remain and registrations will be accepted on a...

In anticipation of next month’s 2021 FGIA Hybrid Fall Conference in Phoenix, AZ, we sent out information to our members about the safety protocols and what to expect at the event, for those attending in-person. The health and safety of our participants and staff is of paramount importance, and I wanted to also share that information here on the Member Edge blog. The Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, our event venue, will accommodate CDC-recommended spacing for our group under current operating capacity. At this...

I first became aware of hashtags circa 2009 when I was taking a social media course about using Twitter for organizations. They appealed to me for a lot of reasons, but primarily, I saw them as a way to get your message out to a wider audience, even if you yourself didn’t have a ton of followers. But while Twitter may have brought hashtags into the mainstream, today they apply to social media platforms across the board. Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn now recognize them...

FGIA staff are very excited to visit with our industry friends in Atlanta, GA at GlassBuild once again. We all know we took last year off from an in-person gathering, but for 2021, we are back to business! FGIA will be in the reimagined Industry Pavilion in booth 3625, so be sure to stop by. Here’s what’s happening at the show overall, including the one-day Glazing Executives Forum, how to get free show passes and the FGIA members exhibiting at GlassBuild this year.You can find...

Our team is heading to Atlanta soon for the return of GlassBuild - the largest annual gathering place for glass, window and door industries in the Americas. Who knew that when we stepped off the trade show floor in 2019 that it would be two years before we’d step back into those halls? But, as NGA President and CEO Nicole Harris said in her Ask Me Anything session about GlassBuild last week, “The show is on!” We’re back to business and back to GlassBuild, but...

After taking a year off from an in-person gathering, GlassBuild America is back in business in Atlanta, GA next month. I went to the largest glass and fenestration show in North America just six months after entering the industry, and the experience was a real whirlwind! Maybe you’re a seasoned pro or a GlassBuild newbie, but regardless of how many GlassBuild shows you’ve attended, I have some tips for you for before, during and after the trade show. And the best part is, you can...

We are thrilled to announce the dates for this fall’s in-person IG Fabricator Workshop which will take place November 3-5, at the Intertek facility in Plano, TX. This is a popular industry workshop, but because it is such an interactive event where individuals must be in close proximity to get the full experience, it was not feasible to host in 2020. But, now it’s back!Since its launch in 2016, the IG Fabricator Workshop has hosted more than 300 practitioners of the IG industry, leading them...

As you may already know, FGIA recently rolled out new training materials and classes for the InstallationMasters® Combined Training and Certification Program, which addresses proper installation of windows and doors for both new construction and replacement/remodeling. Made available as of June 1, this program replaced the “Original” program training materials, which was sunset as of July 1. Not only that, but an in-person class for individuals interested in becoming newly accredited to teach the InstallationMasters Combined Program installer training is now scheduled for August 30...

Here on Socially Speaking, we talk a lot about different social media platforms, how they can best be used and what’s changing with them at any given moment. But what tends to stay the same is that your content, no matter which platform it is featured on, needs to be interesting and relevant to your followers. Most individuals use personal social media accounts to share their proudest moments and accomplishments, and while you as a company can do that as well, it is important to...

We had a wonderful event in our 2021 FGIA Virtual Summer Conference, and we are so thankful our members enjoyed our speakers and work sessions. The FGIA team has worked diligently to continue to refine the virtual experience with meaningful content. That said, we are very much looking forward to our next event, because it will be the first opportunity we will have to be together in person in a year and a half.The 2021 FGIA Fall Conference October 18-21 will be a hybrid event,...