2001 Masonry Showcase
By Mason Contractors Association of America
The board of the Mason Contractors Association of America looks forward to welcoming all of the attendees to this year's MASONRY SHOWCASE, which is being held in Orlando, Feb. 21-24. More importantly, we'd like to thank you for choosing to attend our show over Hanley Wood's "World of Masonry". Without the participation and support from each and every person involved, from our show sponors and exhibitors, to our industry suppliers who advertise in MASONRY Magazine, to the mason contractors in attendance, along with their key employees and family members - without you, there simply wouldn't be a show.
We'd like to send a special "thank you" to our exhibitors and advertisers. Thanks to their continued support over the past several years, we've been able to place revenues from the MASONRY SHOWCASE back into the association to improve and expand not only the MASONRY SHOWCASE year after year, but also key industry programs and services offered by the association, including workforce recruitment and training, contractor educational opportunities, and the expansion of contractor representation in codes development, to name a few. While attending the trade show portion of the convention, we ask that you make it a point to visit their booths first and foremost and show your loyalty to them, just as they've shown their loyalty to us through the years. When choosing which equipment to purchase, we ask that you consider first those industry suppliers who are standing behind our association and our industry, namely our show exhibitors and advertisers.
As for the rest of the convention, this year's Masonry Showcase in Orlando is expected to be the best one yet! Above and beyond the record-breaking forty thousand square feet of exhibits are twenty educational workshops to chose from in four different education tracks (Safety, Technical, Business Development and Residential Masonry), a comprehensive Basic Masonry Estimating Seminar, a 3-day Architects' Masonry Symposium (sponsored by Continental Cast Stone), a two-day Masonry Foreman Development Course, the Masonry Skills Challenge, and the Fastest Trowel Competition (sponsored by Spec Mix, Inc.).
Also in the line-up are several networking events at two Disney Theme Parks, beginning with the MASONRY SHOWCASE Opening Reception on Thursday, February 22nd, which is being held at Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park. Here, attendees and their guests will be free to enjoy the park for an afternoon and evening of fun and thrills. The Tower of Terror, the Rock-N-Roller Coaster, Fantasmic, the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and dinner amidst the Cairo Grand Celebration are just some of the feature attractions scheduled. At the close of the MASONRY SHOWCASE will be a farewell dinner-banquet, being held the evening of Saturday, February 24th at Disney's Animal Kingdom, featuring a private movie showing of "It's Tough to Be a Bug", a tour of DinoLand USA, and a special performance of the Festival of the Lion King.
The annual International Excellence in Masonry Awards Reception (sponsored by Marshalltown Trowel Company) will be held on Friday, February 23rd at the Rozen Plaza Hotel. Entrees from this year's competition will be presented in a video awards program, giving recognition to the mason contractors, architects, engineers and construction customers for their outstanding accomplishments in masonry selection, design and construction. This year's entrees and winners will also be published in the March 2001 issue of MASONRY, which will be on display outside of the exhibit floor on Saturday, February 24th.
Another highly anticipated event being held at this year's MASONRY SHOWCASE is the building of MCAA's second Habitat for Humanity home - an event bringing so many together in one place, for one day, to support an incredibly worthwhile cause. With the aid of local people, companies and churches within the community donating their time, materials and money, coupled with a labor force of masonry apprentices and architects from around the US and Canada, the building of this home will be completed in less than a day and sold at no profit and with no interest to a low-income family who might otherwise live in substandard housing. We expect this year's Habitat for Humanity Home to even more successful than last year's!
As you can see, this year's MASONRY SHOWCASE is quite THE SHOWCASE, thanks to you. For those of you who've been attending our show and who have supported the MCAA over the past several years, I'm sure you can see how far we've come as an association as a whole, and how much the SHOW has improved and expanded with each passing year. Based on my own personal experience as a first-time attendee and staff member to last year's MASONRY SHOWCASE in Las Vegas, it did not take long for me to realize the impact that each and every person in attendance has on the show's success. More importantly, I can say with confidence, whether you're a first-time attendee or a tenth-time attendee, you're guaranteed to walk away feeling positive from the experience, knowing that you've not only learned at least one new and valuable piece of information, but also that you're attendance directly supported the future of the masonry industry.
About the Author
he Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is the national trade association representing mason contractors. The MCAA is committed to preserving and promoting the masonry industry by providing continuing education, advocating fair codes and standards, fostering a safe work environment, recruiting future manpower, and marketing the benefits of masonry materials. Visit www.masoncontractors.org to learn more.
