The last day of the International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™ (WFCT) means one thing for many attendees of the annual event: Finals Day. A handful of competitors spanning multiple heats returned to the trade show floor on Friday at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, aiming to take home the title of world champion.

WFCT’s final day culminates three days of intense competitions, testing the skills of installers and technicians in automotive and architectural tinting, decorative film, paint protection film (PPF) and vehicle wraps. Competitors originate from all corners of the globe, including Brazil, Australia, Canada, the United States, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Japan and China.

“The competitions this year were extremely fierce,” says Sarah Bauder, competition coordinator at Key Media & Research. “We’ve thrown the competitors curveballs that they had no way of anticipating, and they’ve bounced back tremendously, but it’s definitely been challenging for them. The talent that we’ve seen this year has been incredible.

“We have some of our veteran competitors joining us back again for another year, another attempt at the gold. And we have a ton of new faces, which is always exciting to see. We love to welcome anyone who’s interested in competing, wanting to expand their horizons, show off their talents and just show this industry the love and support that it deserves.”

Beyond Borders

Many exhibitors had a firsthand look at the competitions, including Joseph Park of South Korea-based IOMTEK Inc. and Eiju Haruyama of Japan-based Sumiron. Park says the nearly 7,000-mile trip from Gyeongju-si, South Korea, to San Antonio was worth the journey. IOMTEK Inc.’s booth, notes Park, was situated just off the PPF competition floor and had quite a few visitors, a positive sign as the company looks to expand into the U.S. market. The company researches eco-friendly composite materials and climate-responsive/cooling films using recycled waste.

Park adds that expansion into the U.S. has been easier said than done, though WFCT offers IOMTEK an opportunity to reach a rich and diverse market, especially in Texas. Much like Park, Haruyama traveled across the world to attend WFCT, arriving from Tennouji-ku, Japan. Haruyama says the event was a great avenue to further promote Sumiron’s aftermarket surface and paint protection materials products.

“We’ve got quite a bit of information over the past three days,” he adds. “More than we expected, which is good.”

WFCT ends Saturday. The event returns next year in Orlando. Stay tuned to windowfilmmag.com and social media for more updates, and keep an eye out tonight as the WFCT winners are revealed. Click here to see the competition finalists.