February 10, 2004 10:45 AM CST

Chi Town in 2005

By Colin Faul

With the 2004 Masonry Showcase in full-swing next month in Las Vegas, MCAA is already gearing up for next year's event in Chicago, which will be co-located with the Construction Specifications Institute's (CSI) Construct America show and convention. MCAA is taking the Masonry Showcase to the next level, making it even bigger and better than before.

With the growth of the industry and the crossover between the mason industry and other construction affiliates, there is an immense benefit to our MCAA members to bring them together for the purpose of an even broader networking and education event. Construct America has the potential to become the largest marketplace for showcasing products, materials and services for the entire lifecycle of the built environment. For the first time, virtually anyone working in any phase of the lifecycle of a facility has one place to discover and share leading edge applications and technologies and to network with industry partners.

How will this affect the mason contractors? In 2003, over 1,200 exhibit booths under the Construct America umbrella, representing approximately 640 companies, were present giving the contractor even more from which to choose. Attendees are able to view more products and build further relations with distributors and exhibitor representatives, all under one roof.

Not only has the supplier audience increased, additional educational offerings, product demonstrations and contests will be featured at the 2005 Masonry Showcase at Construct America.

MCAA is looking forward to this new, expanded event and are excited to offer even greater benefits to our members.

Look for event information and registration information in the near future and make sure you come and see the exciting new changes we have planned for next year!

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About the Author

Colin Faul was the Director of Marketing and Director of Professional Development for the Mason Contractors Association of America.