Record Crowds, Fierce Competitions and Industry Innovations Take Center Stage
A record-setting International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™ (WFCT) is in the books. The three-day event at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando brought together window tinters, paint protection film (PPF) professionals, decorative artists and vinyl applicators worldwide to network, learn, socialize and compete.
For this year’s show, bigger was better. More than 3,000 attendees visited WFCT, co-located with Auto Glass Week™, setting a show record. WFCT honored Alejandra Ferrer Ortega and Ricardo David Roman Catari of Xpertint in Orlando, who pushed the number to 2,999 and 3,000 during the event’s final day.
“I never in a million years thought we would break all records this year,” says Deb Levy, WFCT’s managing director. “My goal for this year was 2,500, so the fact that we got to 3,000 is amazing and a testament to the industry we serve.”
Not only did the conference feature educational sessions, a trade show floor, award ceremonies and competitions, but several activities hosted throughout the week allowed attendees to decompress and have fun.
These included a 3K walk/run, an evening at Topgolf and the closing party and awards
ceremony. The run and golf outings also helped raise money for Tinters For A Cause,
a charity devoted to helping window film and PPF members during tragedy or illness.
“GaryVee” Amplifies Social Media’s Importance
Many WFCT and PPF attendees were on hand to listen to entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk deliver the keynote speech during the event’s opening day. Vaynerchuk is chairperson of VaynerX, VaynerMedia CEO, CEO of VeeFriends and a five-time New York Times bestselling author.
Vaynerchuk, affectionately known as “GaryVee,” took the opportunity to stress the importance of social media marketing. He explained that social media is a finicky business, but there’s no reason to avoid it, especially when it can help your business. Of all people, he should know. He has seen first-hand how social media can amplify business.
He explains that understanding how to market on social media is critical for all businesses, especially small ones.
“Out of all the things you do for a living, understanding how you do marketing will
have the biggest impact on the paycheck you take home,” he says.
Autobahn Performance Films and Tint Wiz co-sponsored Vaynerchuk’s keynote speech.
WFCT Hall of Fame Inductees
Amid the hum of WFCT, a private moment was held to induct two long-time window film members into the Window Film magazine’s Hall of Fame and recognize the industry’s top dealers.
Two members of the window film industry were inducted into the Hall of Fame during a special luncheon on the first day of WFCT. They include Tommy Silva, founder of T&T Tinting Specialists in Honolulu, and Jim Black (retired) of Madico.
Black has been a fixture in the window film industry for decades. He first launched California Tint and pivoted to Sun Pro in 1992. Since then, he has held various roles, culminating at Madico.
“Jim is loved and respected by all,” says Darrell Smith of the International Window Film Association (IWFA). Smith is a previous inductee who led Black’s induction. “At meetings, he’s quiet and attentive, but when he speaks, everyone listens. He’s one of the most beloved members of the window film industry.”
Silva opened T&T Tinting Specialists in 1982, hand-cutting film for cars using inexpensive dyed films and Yellow Pages for advertising. He first started tinting as a teenager and has grown from a local tinter to a national icon in the window film and PPF industries.
“Just get a little bit better each day,” he says. “I’ve relied on many people in this industry to improve. That’s one good thing about this industry; we might be all competitors, but we are family.”
Navigating the Show Floor
The focus of WFCT was the trade show floor, adorned with booths from various window film- and
PPF-related companies. The show floor was the perfect opportunity for exhibitors to meet clients and see fresh faces, especially with record-setting attendance ushering in new prospects.
Ashley Wynn, a spokesmodel at Tint Wiz, which provides CRM software for PPF companies, says the turnout for this year’s show was great.
“The event is growing from what we see,” she says. “We’ve had an amazing response. We see a lot of familiar faces, but we are seeing new faces, which is new for us. This is usually a small industry where everyone knows each other. It’s great seeing new people coming in.”
For first-time exhibitor, Opticle, WFCT provided an opportunity to grow its brand. In addition to its PPF products, Opticle offers free installation training programs. Jason Otterness says plenty of people visited the Opticle booth, opening more doors for the Romeoville, Illinois-based company.
“For us, it’s meeting new people, and many haven’t heard of us,” he says. “I think we have 50 or 60 badge scans. That’s 50 or 60 more people we can contact and tell them about us.”
69toolz was also a first-time WFCT exhibitor. The company displayed its PPF tint simulator, which allows clients to view various color tints, streamlining the selection process. Customers can rotate a simulated vehicle to see what it looks like with a particular shade from all angles, even from the inside.
“Clients have issues picking a certain shade,” says Kahled Rowaid of 69toolz. “They complain that it’s darker or lighter than expected. With this system, it has completely eliminated that issue for us. We want to share it with everybody else.”
Mark Bagley of 3M says WFCT was the perfect place to unveil his company’s new protection wrap film. He explains that the film is a dry-installed, pigmented PPF 8 mm thick with a 10-year warranty. The dry installation is 50% faster than wet-installed PPF.
“What’s unique about this film is that the color is impregnated all the way through,” Bagley adds. “A lot of what’s in the market today, if they say it’s 100% thermoplastic polyurethane or polyurethane, the color is embedded in the top layer. The problem with that is it’s like an apple. You lose all your color the second you get a rock chip.”
The Fight for PPF Royalty
The WFCT show floor surrounded multiple competition venues that hosted events encompassing architectural, automotive, decorative, PPF and vehicle wraps. The competitions were held throughout all three days of WFCT, testing the skills and mental fortitude of competitors, who competed for cash prizes and the title of grand champion.
“It’s a whole different ballgame when you compete,” says Joshua Maharajh of Genesis Autoworks Inc. before the championship meet of the PPF competition. “You have to block everything out and hyper-focus on what you are doing.”
Nick Abaro of Genesis Autoworks adds that the trick for those interested in participating in future events is to keep working. “If you don’t get it the first time, keep going,” he says.
The winners of the WFCT competitions were revealed during the final night’s closing party and awards ceremony at the 3NINE and ’39 Poolside Bar in the Rosen Plaza Hotel.
The PPF competition winner was Neil Moran of CGS Vinyl in Pelham, Alabama. This year’s contest was one of redemption for Moran. This was his third time competing at WFCT. He placed in the top 10 two years ago, “bombed” last year and came out on top this year. His secret: intense focus and a little bit of luck.
Nick Abaro from Genesis Autoworks Inc., Elk Grove, California, took second place and Challen Yost of Midwest Tinting in Overland Park, Kansas, took third. Turn to page 8 to read more about the three winners.
The 2024 PPF competition finals field included:
• Meiras Abdykhaimov (Master Protection Film, Laguna Hills, California)
• Larissa Apolinario (Talent Tint, Hollywood, Florida)
• Gerardo Barreto (Orlando Tinting Studios, Orlando, Florida)
• Billy Ellis (Orlando Tinting Services, Goodlettsville, Tennessee)
• Joshua Maharajh (Genesis Window Tinting, Elk Grove, California)
• Jose Mora (Safeguard Auto, Richmond, Virginia)
• Christopher Peterson (Sunstoppers, Charlotte, NC)
Education Galore
The education component of WFCT is always strong. The sessions introduced attendees to trends and challenges facing the window film and PPF industries, including competitive pricing and economic updates.
Window Film and PPF Market Update
Nick St. Denis, director of research at Key Media & Research, which provides research for window film and PPF companies, officially kicked off the education component of WFCT on day one with a presentation highlighting key indicators on the state of window film and the PPF
industry, covering relevant economic drivers and trends.
St. Denis says optimism throughout the window film industry is growing thanks to product diversification. He explains that PPF products have exploded recently, outpacing the automotive sales markets, partially due to increased consumer exposure. This bodes well for the PPF industry, which is typically at the mercy of the automotive market.
However, after strong growth in 2021 and 2022, the commercial and residential sectors have slowed, and more decreases are expected, mostly on the commercial side. As a result, St. Denis says it’s smart for window film and PPF companies to diversify, be it automotive, commercial or residential. This includes investing in ceramic coatings, detailing, architectural films and paint
correction.
IWFA’s Education Day highlighted several notable topics for the PPF industry, including OSHA
recording and reporting and lien rights. Top dealers nationwide met to discuss various aspects of window film and PPF, from hiring to exit strategies and what to do during slowdowns.
Top Dealer Discussion
Window Film magazine’s Hall of Fame inductee Silva says the best strategy for hiring and training is to focus on hands-on training. He explains that the most complicated facet is the procedural aspect, ensuring that systems are in order and steps are taken to train.
William Valway of AP Corp. says he strives to hire people with good character. Finding good people is important because getting a return on investment (ROI) takes time. If there’s churn, that ROI won’t materialize.
Regarding exit strategies, Silva says shifting a company to an employee-owned model is a great step to increase employee buy-in and improve morale. He says it’s a clean way for owners to step away while the employees remain engaged.
“They’re really engaged now,” he says of his employees. “Our waste is way down. Our
damage is way down. Our stock valuation has doubled in the past two years. The employees
have increased the value of the company.”
Cost-of-Living Raises vs. Competitive Pricing
Six longtime company owners took the stage to discuss the latest trends and challenges in the window film and PPF industries.
The panel included IWFA members Kristy Yelle of Palmetto Protection Films, Michelle Hurtado of Sal’s House of Tint, Jim Freeman of Tint America Window Films, Steve Fricker of Pro Tint Inc., Abe Rodrigues of Accurate Tint and Graphics and Jonathan Thompson of Sunsational Solutions.
The question-and-answer session opened with a question from an attendee with two shops.
“I’m looking at the next 10 years,” the attendee said. “I can only give so many raises
to fight inflation and keep my costs in check to be profitable … How do I make it so
everyone gets a fair chance?” Thompson encourages setting goals.
“Set goals for what you want your employees to turn into and develop those skill sets,” he explains. “We created individual development plans, asking our employees what they want to improve. That will help you work toward a plan.”
But when raising prices to care for employees or keeping prices the same to compete in the regional market, Thompson recommends setting goals to increase productivity. When that productivity is seen, profits will increase. The cost of living and other raises will make up for it.
Valway asked how window film and PPF companies can avoid hourly pay.
“We make sure they have a guarantee,” says Hurtado. “They can get the job done in half the time and it will be just as good, so we ensure they get a guarantee.”
Fricker says his salespeople and receptionists have a minimum pay, but anything above quota or extra jobs booked by the receptionist are incentivized further.
Freeman says success is all about planning.
“You can’t just go out and do this,” he says. “You have to put a business plan together because there are times when your market isn’t going to do what you think it’s going to do.”
If you thought WFCT 2024 was a success, keep an eye out for more information regarding WFCT 2025. The event will be held in Reno, Nevada, at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center from Sept. 9 to 11, 2025. It’s the 25th anniversary of WFCT, and organizers promise an unforgettable event.
2024 PPFMag Top Dealers Award Ceremony
Several top PPF dealers were recognized on WFCT’s main stage at the inaugural 2024 PPFMag Top Dealers Award Ceremony. The ceremony recognized the top companies within their market brackets and those with the top sales volume within the PPF industry.
Those honored include:
• All Pro Window Films
• Dynamic Tint & Paint Protection
• Midwest Tinting
• Mirrored Image Auto Spa
• Scotty’s Shine Shop
• Sun Stoppers Inc.
• T&T Tinting Specialists Inc.
• Tint World
• TintingChicago
You can read the full list of North America’s 2024 top PPF dealers in the Summer 2024 issue of
PPFMag.
Joshua Huff is a contributing editor of PPFMag. Email him at jhuff@glass.com and
connect with him on LinkedIn.
To view the laid-in version of this issue in our digital edition, CLICK HERE.