Masonry Magazine October 1989 Page. 7
MASONRY EXPO '90 SET
MCAA To Hold 40th Annual Meeting Concurrently
When eight national masonry industry associations joined forces to create MASONRY EXPO, they meant to make history to give the industry an important new resource it had never had before.
The first fruits of that ambitious undertaking go on display February 3 at the Phoenix Civic Plaza in Phoenix, Arizona, where MASONRY EXPO '90 opens its doors for a three-day run. Thousands of masonry industry professionals-contractors, producers, plant owners, architects, engineers, home builders and many others will tour some 175 exhibiting companies and choose from a full program of timely, informative seminars.
MASONRY EXPO '90 represents a combination of two long-established events: The Mason Contractors Association of America's International Masonry Conference and Exposition, and The Concrete Industries Exposition sponsored by the National Concrete Masonry Association.
As such, it combines a 40-year heritage of success with the excitement of a "first time" event. It adds new convenience and effectiveness both to exhibitors' sales efforts and to industry professionals' shopping strategies. It provides, for the first time, a single national forum at which everything that really matters to the masonry construction industry in the 1990's will be available for inspection, discussion and assessment.
"MASONRY EXPO was created because there was no single, convenient national event serving the masonry construction industry, an industry estimated to be worth more than $6 billion in 1990," said Robert Hatch. President of MCAA, "The eight co-sponsoring associations, including MCAA and NCMA, want to provide their constituents with a single event at which they can combine education and comparison shopping, and truly learn all the things they need to know to stay competitive in our demanding marketplace."
In addition to MCAA and NCMA, MASONRY EXPO '90 is sponsored by:
* Brick Institute of America
* Expanded Shale, Clay and Slate Institute
* National Association of Brick Distributors
* National Lime Association
* Portland Cement Association
* The Masonry Society
Both MCAA and NCMA will be holding their annual conventions concurrently with MASONRY EXPO. Their attendees will make up a large percentage of the visitors to the 45,000 square feet of displays in the exhibit hall. Other attendees will come to the exposition from throughout the United States and abroad.
Awaiting them will be displays of the latest technology, products and services for every industry need from pollution control to job estimating, and from packaging systems to plant robotics.
"In order to stay competitive, to win jobs and complete them profitably, contractors have to make smart use of new technology, and they have to know the best sources and uses of all their materials. MASONRY EXPO will help them collect this knowledge," said George Miller, Executive Director, MCAA. "Likewise, this exposition will display items of great interest and importance to producers of masonry materials, and to the professionals who specify masonry for new construction, rehabs and other uses."
The exhibitor prospectus for MASONRY EXPO '90-the complete package of show data, rules, and space application-was published in midsummer, and potential exhibitors responded immediately with great enthusiasm. The pace of exhibitor sign-ups, and amounts of space being requested by those companies, have both been ahead of projections. By mid-September, the exposition was already nearly 80 percent sold out.
"We've been pleased by the trend toward larger exhibits, which will allow companies to display more products and accommodate more visitors," said Chris.