Masonry Magazine April 1998 Page. 20
Charlotte Expo Gets Higi
By Rachel Young
Director of Meetings & Conventions
Motivating the attendees with 5 days of educational seminars, workshops, meetings and exhibits, the energetic atmosphere could be felt all around. As tradition holds, the Expo Golf Classic was held on Wednesday, February 18 to officially begin the program. Many attendees who braved the chilly (and wet) morning had an excellent outing run by Jim O'Connor. Executive Director of Greater Chicago. For those who stayed behind, a seminar on wall bracing was taking place.
The 1998 Masonry Expo held in Charlotte, North Carolina proved to be an excellent opportunity for education and networking
The following morning everyone was greeted with the magic of Billy Riggs at the opening-session breakfast. With magic and an occasional slight of hand, a highly motivating message was subtly delivered as the audience watched his amazing "disillusionment" of reality. Billy's routine brought audience participation to new heights as he levitated audience members off the ground, sawed a woman in 3 and predicted the immediate future!
Shortly before the performance, MCAA President Don Grant gave his annual report on the State of the Association and its goals for the upcoming years. The group then broke to begin a day of meetings and training. Many of the foreman of tomorrow attended the first ever Foremen Training workshop. The training class was a huge success with triple the number of participants than first estimated. The more seasoned attendees continued with committee meetings to plan for the future of the masonry industry and its changing requirements. The day ended with a well-attended reception on the exhibit floor. The reception gave everyone a sneak preview of the show floor while they mingled in a non-intrusive, social atmosphere.
Friday began with educational seminars and workshops that covered vital strategies for both running a competitive contracting business and staying current with the new legislation laws. The 9 workshops that were conducted over a period of 3 days offered a comfortable blend of technical, administrative and futuristic perspectives to the masonry industry. The Expo exhibit floor opened officially at 1pm on Friday, February 20 after an entertaining luncheon with political impersonator Jim Morris as the Master of Ceremonies. Directly