Last year was eventful, no question. Economic changes brought uncertainty and turbulence into the market, causing difficulties for many. Looking ahead is critical for glass industry businesses to weather instability. For those planning for the year ahead, find a comprehensive market outlook in our yearly economic forecast. In addition to this report, here are a few other Glass Magazine and National Glass Association resources that you can look to throughout this year in order to stay on top of market, regulatory changes and other trends that could affect your business.
Editorial reports. Glass Magazine’s flagship products include its yearly Top Glass Fabricators report coming in the April edition, focusing on the glass fabricator and manufacturer segments, as well as the Top 50 Glaziers report coming in July, which includes analysis of trends for installers and contract glaziers. Both include forward-facing information about sales, growth and more based on compiled data straight from companies in the industry and are available free in print and online.
NGA’s Advocacy and Technical Initiatives update. This last year ended with a major win for NGA’s Advocacy and Technical Team, as well as the industry at large. Working with representatives from AIA and AEC, the coalition achieved success at the ICC Committee Action hearings in including more windows, and more daylighting, in University housing, eliminating the possibility of windowless dormitories.
Industry news, online and in print. Things change rapidly. Last year saw tariffs shift quickly, and sometimes daily. Find up-to-date information, analysis and more on Glass Magazine’s website, GlassMagazine.com, where we post news daily. For a weekly update, subscribe to our weekly newsletters, Glass Magazine Weekly, as well as our social channels on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Thirsty Thursday webinars. Our webinar series features experts from inside and outside the industry, speaking to the challenges that are affecting industry business. Recent topics include a review of recent code changes, school security, suicide prevention, and natural outdoor weather testing. Tune in every third Thursday, and find a backlog of recordings at glass.org/webinars.
Glass Cast podcasts. Listen to industry leaders in conversation with Glass Magazine’s editorial staff. Topics include the challenges and opportunities facing their business, new innovations, industry trends and more. Find all podcasts on our YouTube channel.
Industry events, old and new. The National Glass Association’s events share cutting edge information, deliver expertise from some of the industry’s major leaders, and offer an opportunity for industry professionals of all segments to collaborate on problem-solving. This year’s calendar again includes the industry’s long-running annual gathering of glaziers at the Building Envelope Contractors Conference, March 1-3 in Louisville, as well NGA Glass Conference which brings together the best technical expertise.
Additionally, we’re adding a new event to the calendar: the NGA Glass Fabricator Conference, known as GFAB. To be held June 14-17 in Chicago, this inaugural conference will present three tracks of targeted content: the Executive Track, which will present programming for company decision makers and leaders; the NGA Glass Conference Track, which will draw together technical leaders for the meeting of the association’s Fabricating, Forming and Advocacy Committees; and the GFAB Workshop: Quality Control in Glass Tempering, which will bring production floor leaders together for a day-long educational program at Chicago-based fabricator Skyline Design.
And of course, this year we return to Las Vegas Sept. 23-25 for GlassBuild America, which brings together exhibitors and attendees for the largest event for the glass and fenestration industries in North America. GlassBuild will once again be the venue for learning about market trends and product innovations to advance the industry.
