Cheng Concrete Exchange Raises Bar and Awareness of Concrete Countertops
January 2007 — At the record-breaking World of Concrete 2007 (WOC) where 90,000 people gathered in Las Vegas, NV, Cheng Concrete Exchange’s booth exhibit of sculptural concrete countertops was again a show favorite, drawing a non-stop stream of an estimated 7,500 visitors to the booth throughout the four-day event. In the 33-year history of the international tradeshow, this year’s WOC was the largest yet with 1,700 exhibitors occupying over 900,000 net square feet, a healthy boost over the previous year’s event.
Fu-Tung Cheng, an expert on interior concrete applications and a pioneer in the decorative concrete industry, is the founder of Cheng Concrete Exchange, an online resource and marketplace providing building professionals and do-it-yourselfers with training, design ideas, business opportunities and a full line of concrete countertop products. He is also the author of bestseller Concrete Countertops and Concrete at Home and a WOC speaker; his seminar was entitled “Beyond Countertops: More Concrete Opportunities Inside the Home.”
This is the fourth year Cheng Concrete Exchange has participated at WOC, proving yet again to be a great venue to promote concrete countertop design. “We were swamped! We were pleased and delighted at the buzz and keen interest in concrete countertops and how our concept of casting a new vision of concrete — emphasizing design and craftsmanship — is striking a chord with the decorative concrete contractor. The momentum is fantastic,” said Cheng.
“I didn’t walk by the Concrete Exchange booth one time without seeing a throng of people intently watching the demo video or admiring the work,” said Jon Hockhalter, a Cheng Concrete Exchange Member.
Nick Relampagos, another Cheng Concrete Exchange Member, was impressed “seeing the amount of interest and acceptance concrete has gained from Fu-Tung’s work. He is the epitome of what good business practice, design, heart and conscience is. He inspires all who are willing to listen to him to step out of the box and design with feeling and conscience.”
Major attractions to Cheng Concrete Exchange’s booth included speaking events by Cheng, who gave slideshow presentations throughout the day sharing his recent residential design and concrete projects, successful applications of architectural concrete in commercial applications, as well as technical approaches to complex formwork. Cheng also provided a day-by-day look at the curriculum and benefits of his popular Advanced Countertop Design Training, a five-day program that is often sold-out three months in advance.
“As a thriving network, Concrete Exchange serves to raise the level of craftsmanship in concrete countertop design and encourage concrete professionals to expand their business by tapping into this growing industry,” said Cheng.
Cheng Concrete Exchange’s WOC 2007 agenda was kept busy with several highlighted announcements and efforts:
“Beyond Countertops” Seminar:
Fu-Tung Cheng’s 3-hour WOC seminar drew an estimated 400 attendees to hear him speak on the topic of “Beyond Countertops: More Concrete Opportunities Inside the Home.” Cheng engaged attendees with a presentation on new residential uses for concrete: fireplaces, water features, partition walls, columns and more. He showed many examples of his latest work as well as past projects, and also included examples from other residential concrete experts.
Doctors Without Borders:
For the third consecutive year, Cheng’s instructional DVD, Concrete Countertops D-I-Y, was a popular item at WOC — selling nearly 1,200 copies. A total of $6,000 was donated to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters around the world. In 2006, Cheng donated proceeds from sales of Concrete Countertops D-I-Y at WOC to the Hurricane Katrina Relief effort.
Official Product Line Launch:
Cheng Concrete Exchange, in strategic partnership with Interstar Corporation, officially launched the new CHENG Concrete Countertop Products line — the only complete line of products for making concrete countertops. For the first time at WOC, attendees were able to see the ease of use and convenience of the one-of-a-kind mix and finishing products. The hands-on demonstrations that took place throughout the day, every day, were packed four rows deep with onlookers anxious to see the new products in action.