The Case for Attending Industry Shows
by Mel Villalon
As of this writing, the 2025 Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™ had just crowned this year’s champions while celebrating the event’s 25th anniversary. Industry events aren’t really about finding the best—they’re about bringing out the best in us as installers, managers, business owners and brand representatives. It’s a chance to see what’s new, connect face-to-face with manufacturers and discover what they’re bringing to our industry.
If you’re a big-name brand, this is your best chance to meet the customers you want to serve. These brands already provide great support to other industries; it’s up to us to prove we’re worth the investment.
Why Showing Up Matters
In our lifetimes, we’ll experience events and meet people who make a profound difference in shaping our future. The most common statement I hear from peers who don’t attend is: “I’ve never gone.” Think about that. Their perception comes only from assumption, not experience.
Excuses usually follow: “I’ll lose too much money from missed jobs.” Or “I don’t have time.” Or “How can they claim to be the world’s best with only a hundred contestants?”
The truth? Not everyone in the world is there, and that’s fine. We’ll revisit that in another article. But here’s the point: everything in life is what you make of it. Anyone who attends can come home a winner by discovering even the smallest nugget of wisdom.
Before the internet, we were all isolated in our own corners of the world. Whether you lived in a big city or a small one, nobody shared techniques or trade secrets. Everyone assumed they were the best. Competing with hometown heroes from across the globe can be a reality check. I’ve seen installers toss their tools and break down after a rough round. But even in defeat, they learned a technique, met a peer or picked up a product tip. That’s still a win. Every champion has tasted defeat. Our industry improves because competition pushes quality higher and higher.
Lessons, Losses and Wins
One major shift we’ve seen is the idea that tint or PPF must be done in a controlled shop. Competitors now achieve optically clear perfection without peel boards or other shop comforts. Imagine losing a round because an air vent blew across your film just as you released the liner. Those moments sting, but they also fuel evolution. Competitors adapt, vowing it’ll never happen again.
Today, lighting set-ups, dash and door covers, headlamp protectors and even branded gear have become the new norm. Some dismiss it as a popularity contest, but think about it: if your business thrives on referrals and stellar reviews, isn’t that a form of popularity? Don’t you want people to brag about your work? If you’ve got it, flaunt it.
And let’s be real … how many of you reading this use a Corny tank, electric sprayer or backpack sprayer? Probably most, and likely only in the last few years. I competed in my first tinting event way back in 1988 in Houston. I watched a dozen Dallas installers roll in with Corny tanks, hoses and a system that let them tint cars right where they sat. That was my life-changing moment.
I made it through day one, then hit a 24-hour Walmart to piece together my own rig: a bug sprayer, refrigerator lines, a fuel filter, a compressor and a Schrader valve. By day two, I was armed with equal firepower. That set-up saved my hands from decades of repetitive spray bottle use.
If you’re spraying from a tank today, chances are it traces back to an installer who once competed, learned and came home to share that knowledge. Even in their loss, they spread a win to the rest of us.
I hope to see you all at the next event!
Mel Villalon is the general manager of Paradise Tinting in Long Beach, Calif.
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