Despite some stops and starts, for the International Window Film Association and its members, 2021 turned out to be a full throttle NASCAR race making every turn of events into a success.

As a result of the fast pace, there may be some things the IWFA achieved that you may have missed, so we waved a checkered flag and made a pit stop to offer a quick year-end round up of major achievements.

Board Expansion

As an association the IWFA continues to grow and expand both domestically and internationally. New manufacturer members were added to reflect the global reach and character of the IWFA’s board. In addition, the European Window Film Association was provided more resources so it too can expand its reach and influence under the auspices of the IWFA, of which the EWFA is an official chapter.

Online Accreditation

Since launching its virtually proctored online accreditation testing program in early 2021, more people have become accredited in Solar Control, Security Film, Automotive Film and Advanced Solar Control Film than ever before. In 2022 the IWFA expects to roll-out educational review videos and updated digital copies of the educational manuals to support the accreditation testing program. Later in 2022, the IWFA intends to offer installation modules for each of the 4 program segments

Social Media

Combining the reach of the IWFA’s social media programs in Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter the audience is in the 100’s of thousands with some posts reaching 35,000. Further expansion in this area is planned for 2022, both for the public and for the dealer/installers.

New Website

To help channel the many visitors to the IWFA website, a new one was launched in late 2021. A strong aspect of the site is it helps visitors learn more about window film and also to find window film. The new website makes it even faster and easier for visitors to find a local window film dealer, distributor or manufacturer who is an IWFA member. The number of visitors to the IWFA website continues to increase, and we are seeing the same increasing trend with users accessing the Business Locator facility. The increase in visitors is in excess of 30% on a year-over-year basis. All of this means more leads for dealer members!

Rising Tide

The IWFA issued hard hitting news releases monthly and earned free media coverage across all North American markets on topics that support the marketing of automotive window films and architectural window films. Roughly 7,000 items of coverage resulted on behalf the industry, with the majority of the articles appearing in local media outlets.

Training Partnership

In June, a partnership with The Window Tint School, an in-person training academy based in Jacksonville, FL, was announced.  The school is brand neutral and offers hands on curricula for both automotive and flat glass. Additional announcements for 2022 are expected.

Trade Events

The dealer couples panel called ‘It Takes Two’ was a highlight of IWFA Education Day at the Window Film Conference and Tint-off in Orlando. Back at the IWFA booth more people stopped by than in recent years and almost 20 new members were signed up at the show. Additional dealer development programs are expected to be rolled out in 2022.

National Window Film Day

After a brief hiatus in 2020, the celebratory day came back at full strength with over a dozen governors signing proclamations to promote the many benefits of window films. For 2022 new dealer marketing materials are planned to support the celebration of window film and provide an opportunity to increase sales.

2022 Board of Directors

As a part of the 2021 Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors for 2022 was finalized. This year a record number of votes were cast. The IWFA wishes to congratulate and welcome new Board members Jeff Franson and Jeff Rutherford. We also wish to congratulate returning members Jack Mundy, Jim Black, Jim Freeman, Steve Fricker, Tammy Trivette, Andrew Decastecker, Gary Clark, Rain Liu, Jinwei Zhang, Daniel Cvelbar, Peter Elliott, Hong Sheng Zhang, Serena Fan, Scott Davidson and Vic Wang. The Board currently consists of 11 Member Manufacturer Members and 6 Dealer/Distributor Members.

Continued Leadership

The IWFA is very fortunate to have a very qualified and experienced office staff to support our various initiatives and programs. This year Darrell Smith, our Executive Director, celebrated 25 years of service to the window film industry through the IWFA.

And last, but not least, 2021 was the year the IWFA celebrated 30 years of empowering the industry. If you would like to review the many milestones that were marked over the decades you can read the summary here.

The IWFA staff and Board of Directors would like to take this opportunity to extend best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a safe and enjoyable holiday season to all. Be safe and keep healthy!