Sources: National Concrete Masonry Association, Herndon, Va.; CP staff
The Annual Convention and International Concrete Exposition 2018, February 6-10 in Indianapolis, provided a backdrop for members, staff and allied groups to kick off celebration of NCMA’s 100 years of advocacy, research, standards and promotion for the concrete masonry industry.
Under the centennial banner, NCMA opened three days of convention and networking activities, followed by the two-day ICON Expo – Machinery & Equipment Show. The convention included the premier of “1968-1993 The Modern Era,” the third installment of a four-part History Video series at the content-rich www.ncma100.com site. The Indianapolis gathering sets the stage for the 1993-2018 video release and main 100th anniversary festivities during the NCMA 2018 Mid-Year Meeting, July 31-August 3 in Chicago.
This year saw the Machinery & Equipment Show return to NCMA’s trade exhibit program, prompting an array of Besser Co., Columbia Machine, Masa USA, Pathfinder Systems and TopWerk America block & paver plant iron at the Indiana Convention Center. With regular exhibit hall accommodations and show hours, the Machinery & Equipment format is scheduled every three years—in between ConExpo-Con/Agg, Las Vegas, and the bauma trade fair, Munich. In the years of those global events, NCMA will conduct its annual convention along side the smaller scale B2B meeting and ICON Exchange exhibit program launched in 2015.