Record CIM Auction attends biggest World of Concrete since 2009

World of Concrete 2018 logged just over 58,000 registered attendees from the concrete and masonry business, plus 1,567 exhibitors—302 of them new this year—promoting equipment, products, materials and services across nearly 750,000 square feet of Las Vegas Convention Center indoor and outdoor space.



Conducted in Las Vegas Convention Center meeting space above the World of Concrete show floor, the auction had record donated item value, total attendance and gross receipts. New major donors Con-Tech Manufacturing, Inc., Kenworth Truck and Kenworth of Central Florida boosted the auction item pool with a 2018 T880S bearing an 11-yd. BridgeKing mixer (below). PHOTOS: CIM National Steering Committee
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Continuing a tradition of CIM Auction centerpiece donations, Mack Trucks and McNeilus Cos. presented 2018 bidders a Granite Axle Back mounted with a 10.5-cu.-yd. M77 paver mixer—shown here in a familiar Las Vegas Convention Center “parking space.”

The success of the late-January gathering helps solidify World of Concrete as the only annual event for concrete and masonry professionals, notes Informa Group Director Jackie James. “Having our largest event in nine years proves the construction sector is going strong worldwide,” she says. “Participants, both domestic and international, experienced the very best the industry has to offer in terms of suppliers, products, services and education, and we look forward to an even larger World of Concrete 2019.”

“Our team, along with our service providers, produced a fantastic [2018] show. We saw great attendee numbers, exceptional exhibits, and a very solid rebook of exhibit space for next year’s show,” adds Show Manager Kevin Archibald.

In a nod to a recently departed exhibit space account manager and concrete pumping equipment pioneer, World of Concrete officials have established the Bob Weatherton Award: a $2,500 scholarship for a Concrete Industry Management program student. The inaugural recipient is California State University, Chico’s Damien Bonis, whose scholarship application was accompanied by a presentation, “A Concrete Advantage: How the CIM Program Fosters Unique Research and Internship Opportunities.”

World of Concrete 2019 will run January 21-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

BOOSTED BIDDING

World of Concrete day two saw the annual Concrete Industry Management Auction, which grossed $1.1 million from a pool of concrete fleet, plant and construction equipment and material offerings, along with sports, travel and entertainment packages. CIM Auction Committee Chairman Mike Philipps calls the event “our best ever … We had a record in terms of the value of donated items and attendees that helped make this year’s event a tremendous success.”

Signature 2018 auction items were a Granite Axle Back-mounted 10.5-yd. M77 paver mixer from perennial donors Mack Trucks Inc. and McNeilus Cos., plus a T880S-mounted 11-yd. BridgeKing mixer from new major donors Kenworth Truck, Kenworth Truck of Central Florida and Con-Tech Manufacturing.

CIM Marketing Committee Chairman Brian Gallagher credits the truck manufacturers and body builders, along with many other donors for making the auction a “complete success,” while also recognizing the support of World of Concrete show management and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers for helping stage the event in an optimal venue.

The CIM National Steering Committee again partnered with GiveSmart, a user-friendly bidding technology service providing customized auction and event solutions primarily for nonprofit organizations; participants were able to register for the auction, sneak preview silent and live auction items, make donations, and bid on target silent auction items immediately. Ritchie Bros. also facilitated registered, off-site participants’ online bidding in live auction items.

CIM Auction proceeds support undergraduate and graduate degree programs at Middle Tennessee State University; California State University, Chico; New Jersey Institute of Technology; and, Texas State University.

 

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Jesus Crespo
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Jim McReynolds