Attend Trade Shows to Learn About New Products, Codes, and Techniques

I had a long chat several weeks ago with a fellow who wanted to cover the International Builders’ Show in early February for Professional Deck Builder. He took me, and the construction trade press in general, to task for what he felt was our inadequate coverage of trade shows. His point was that these shows represent opportunities for those of us with mud on our boots and sawdust in our pockets to gain cutting-edge knowledge of techniques and products, and that the press shortchanges readers by not getting that word out. He was persuasive enough that I got him press