Npca, Acpa Team Up For New Annual Exhibit

The National Precast Concrete Association and the American Concrete Pipe Association will stage The Precast Show, a trade exhibit debuting Feb. 20-22,

CP STAFF

The National Precast Concrete Association and the American Concrete Pipe Association will stage The Precast Show, a trade exhibit debuting Feb. 20-22, 2009, at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center. During a July 20 meeting in Omaha, NPCA Chairman Dan Barbour (Barbour Concrete) and ACPA Chairman Tom Wheelan (Hanson Pipe) signed a partnership agreement supporting the event.

Developed by leading precast producers, along with their equipment and material suppliers and allied service providers, The Precast Show will feature an expansive trade show floor, coupled with technical education programming, plant tours, and networking events. The Precast Show supersedes the annual Manufactured Concrete Products Exposition, for which NPCA has been a partner and ACPA a lead sponsor. Both groups are maintaining their commitments to the 2008 MCPX, scheduled for Feb. 7-9 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

NPCA and ACPA board members note the new event be tailored to precast and concrete pipe producers in a growing industry that includes hundreds of products for both underground and above-ground construction. The Precast Show will connect precasters and suppliers in new ways, and we’re very happy that ACPA has joined us in this venture, says Barbour. We started with a blank piece of paper and talked extensively with many of the industry’s leading suppliers and precasters. This show will reflect the best ideas from both groups.

The partnership is a natural fit for both trade associations, according to Wheelan. We share many of the same suppliers, we have many of the same production equipment needs and we run our plants in similar ways, he says. The opportunities for technical training and networking will benefit both groups greatly.