I visited San Antonio from June 6-10, taking in the sights and sounds of the city and meeting with several film dealers ahead of the 21st Annual International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™ (WFCT). Day one of the show is 84 days away, and excitement is building.

Jaime Wheeler founded Alamo City Window Tinting in San Antonio 18 years ago. “I found a good gentleman, and he showed me how to tint,” he says. “I took off and learned it. I was hungry for it. I love what I do … it was a miracle. I’m blessed to learn this industry.”

The need to build and support the next generation of tinters, wrappers and coaters is vital to the window film industry. WFCT 2022 addresses this with Career Day, a new program inviting local high school and vocational school students to attend the show for a day of learning and an introduction to the industry.

WFCT’s event team has an action-packed day of overviews, demonstrations and panel discussions for more than 150 guests. Students will gain exposure to passionate industry representatives from different disciplines and have an opportunity to meet with local shop owners that have immediate employment opportunities in both window film and auto glass repair and replacement.

Wheeler is open to hiring helpers if they can match his passion and says Career Day could prove crucial his search.

“It’s a great thing to do,” he adds. “Finding and training them is a difficult thing to do. It would be great for the team to find them for us.”

“When you can completely change a vehicle’s appearance with a little window film and see the customer happy because of the looks and the protection—customer satisfaction is my main thing,” says Brittany Hemby, sales manager at Tint World in San Antonio. “I’ve become best friends with some of my customers. We barbeque at my house; I have that rapport with them.”

Hemby kicked off her window film career two and a half years ago but was born into the automotive industry. She shares her passion with her father, who she connects with over cars.

“I’m from here, born and raised,” says Hemby, who won’t have to travel far for her first WFCT this year. “I got to go to my first SEMA Show last year. My dad used to go to SEMA, and I told him, ‘Look, I made it.’ I told him when I was younger, ‘I’m going to go there one day,’ and I sure did.”

That’s a slice of my trip to the great city of San Antonio. I’ll see you come September 14-16 at the Henry B. González Convention Center.

Stay tuned for video content from the trip before the show.

This blog is from Focus on Film, the weekly e-newsletter that covers the latest news regarding window film and related products, including paint protection film. Click HERE to sign up—there is no charge. Interested in a deeper dive? Free subscriptions to Window Film magazine in print or digital format are available. Subscribe at no charge HERE.

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