Aggregates and asphalt industries were out in force at the record-setting World of Asphalt Show & Conference and AGG1 Academy & Expo, Feb. 12-14 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
Attendance hit an all-time high with registered attendance at 10,063 – a 28 percent increase over the 2018 show held in Houston. Attendees came from all 50 states, with the home state of Indiana represented with over 1500 in attendance. International attendance also increased with all 10 Canadian provinces and 52 other countries worldwide- including delegations from Nigeria and Russia – coming for the world-class education and exhibit floor.
“It’s been a great show with a lot of interaction on the show floor and in the education sessions; this is where our industry comes together - competitors and peers, to prepare for future growth,” said Kevin Kelly, president of Walsh & Kelly and World of Asphalt 2019 chair.
Both World of Asphalt and AGG1 achieved record size, and spanned a combined 201,450 net square feet of exhibits and 500 exhibitors. More than 145 of those were new to the shows. On display was the latest products and technologies for the aggregates, asphalt, pavement maintenance and traffic safety sectors.
In addition to presenting a robust schedule of educational sessions during the People, Plants & Paving Conference, NAPA engaged with World of Asphalt attendees on a new level at the association’s booth this year with an interactive “Know Your Asphalt” trivia game and a meet-and-greet with Dr. Audrey Copeland, NAPA President & CEO, and NAPA Chairman John Harper, Senior Vice President of Construction Partners Inc. NAPA also participated in Ag2Asphalt Day on Thursday, wherein NAPA staff helped educate Future Farmers of America students about the asphalt pavement industry.
New to the exhibit floor this year was the Rock & Roads Talks stage, which hosted 30-minute panel sessions with industry leaders weighing in on topics such as the changing role of technology and ways to inspire youth to pursue careers in construction. During one of the sessions, Copeland and Harper interviewed quarry and mining expert Dave Turin, formerly of the reality TV series Gold Rush, about workforce development issues. “It’s our responsibility to learn how to respond to them [millennials] and get them to be part of our organization,” said Turin.
Get ready for 2020 and 2021
The next World of Asphalt Show & Conference and AGG1 Academy & Expo will be held in March 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. The shows are held annually except in CONEXPO-CON/AGG years – the next CONEXPO-CON/AGG will be held in March 2020. CONEXPO-CON/AGG spotlights the exhibitors and products of AGG1 and World of Asphalt.
The shows are industry-owned and managed. World of Asphalt is owned by NAPA, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and NSSGA, and produced by AEM. NSSGA owns and produces AGG1 Academy & Expo.
Learn more about the shows at www.worldofasphalt.com and www.agg1.org.
