Long lines and a packed trade show floor highlighted the second day of WinDoor 2022. The annual event kicked off officially on Tuesday at the Palais des congrès in Montreal. Behind the convention center’s beautiful backpainted glass lites and funky architecture, the exhibitors and attendees networked and mingled in a long-awaited return to normalcy.

For many exhibitors, the show was the perfect opportunity to dip a toe into the Canadian market. Swisspacer, a Swiss developer of warm edge spacer bars, took the opportunity to learn more about the North American market, says Elmer Rastner, Swisspacer’s head of marketing and sales in Southern Europe and North America.

Rastner adds that this was the first time the company has attended WinDoor. Overall, Rastner has been impressed with what he has seen. The show provided many opportunities for Swisspacer to learn about customer needs, he says.

Billco, which provides machinery and parts to the door and window industry, has ambitions of expanding throughout Canada. Tracy Rogers, who is a glass specialist at Billco, says that the company seeks to establish more of a presence in Canada.

“There’s a lot of glass fabricators in Canada that we haven’t been able to reach out to yet,” says Rogers. “As for WinDoor, we hope to get more leads and more contacts with people in Canada. Most of our work done in Canada is people coming to us.”

The ODL booth sparkled prior to the show’s opening on November 9.

WinDoor is also the perfect opportunity to dream big. Blink by ODL, which provides modern alternatives to traditional blinds for doors and windows, displayed its various enclosed blinds and discussed Blink’s desire for innovation.

John Grilli, a national sales manager for ODL, says that Blink seeks to go bigger and bolder. This move involves designing larger doors and windows as well as infusing its products with technology. Grilli says that Blink is always looking to go a bit bigger. This includes designing eight-foot patio doors and more.

“What we’re trying to work on for the next year or so is what we call ‘bigger Blink,’” says Grilli. “Right now, we have a wide variety of sizes but we want to get bigger and bolder. Down the road, we’re also looking at app-driven, remote control-type Blink.”

Blink’s new app-driven products will be controllable via smartphones, among other devices, says Grilli. He adds that Blink might be able to release its new innovative products in the near future. In fact, the company currently has an active product that should be released soon.

WinDoor concludes Thursday afternoon. Be sure to follow DWMmag.com for the latest door and window industry news.