Report of the MCAA Convention Committee

The 2006 Masonry Showcase in Las Vegas last March was a success, with Vegas always being a popular destination, the exceptional education sessions we offered, and the variety and quality of our tradeshow exhibitors. Floor traffic was good, as was exhibitor feedback, and the competitions were very popular. This show was our last with CSI due to their date change to June.

The 2007 Masonry Showcase will be at the Peabody Orlando Hotel and the Orange County Convention Center February 21-24. We will be holding our convention and trade show at the same time and location as the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA). Their MCPX show (co-located with the National Precast Concrete Association) will be in the North building of the convention center, while ours is in the West. We will have many opportunities to network with NCMA members, including the Excellence in Masonry Awards and the Closing Event at Universal Studios. Also, NCMA members will receive a free pass to our show floor to watch our competitions. This is the first time in over nine years that the MCAA and NCMA will be exhibiting simultaneously and joining together in activities. We hope to extend this partnership into the future.

The Association is making a strong push for increased attendance at this year's show. Better attendance means more exhibits in the following years, so this year it is critical to bring more people than ever to the show. As usual, we have produced an Attendee Brochure, but we think that this year's is the best yet. It highlights our most important activities and draws the attendee in. Our most notable features include: "Masonry vs. Tilt-Up" educational session with Chris Huckabee; morning show floor hours to allow families to enjoy Orlando in the afternoons; networking events with NCMA; and the all new Masonry Quality Institute and introduction of contractor certification. These brochures will be mailed in the next few months to all MCAA members three times, and twice to all past attendees, Masonry Magazine subscribers, contractors (general and masonry) in the state of Florida twice, and over 8,000 other contractors throughout the country. Florida contractors will also receive a "free pass" into the show floor to encourage "drive-in" traffic.

In a new effort to increase attendance, we have hired an outside marketing firm to call potential attendees and ask them to come to the show. All MCAA members, past attendees, Florida contractors and over 8,000 other mason contractors will receive a personal phone call. The caller will discuss the features of the show, and ask for the contractor's commitment to attend. These calls will begin in November and extend through January.

As of October 30, exhibit sales for 2007 are at 8,900' (60% of budgeted goal) with 3 exhibitors. Of that, 100' are based on a verbal commitment. Of our current 35 exhibitors, 8 are new to the Masonry Showcase. Last year at this time we were at 12,600'. Total number of exhibits last year was 70. The low exhibitor response can be primarily attributed to our low attendance on the show floor. Exhibitors must get many good quality leads to justify being a part of any tradeshow, and with only 800 attendees registered at the 2006 Masonry Showcase, it was simply not enough for most. Our efforts to double show floor attendance will hopefully make a difference for this year, and years to come.

Additionally, sales efforts saw an upturn with the revised pricing released in September. The cost to exhibit went from $33 to $21 per square foot. This reduction was based on the Board's desire to fill the show floor with exhibitors for our expected increase in attendees (see above). This price reduction has resulted in 3 new exhibitor contracts. Currently contracted exhibitors were asked to take additional space to balance out their cost savings, but to date, no one has accepted this option. Also, with NCMA's show occurring simultaneously, we have lost 10 of our exhibitors from years past, as they will be exhibiting with NCMA instead.

Washington DC is being entertained as the site for the 2008 Masonry Showcase, in February of that year. The MCAA Board is still in discussion with NCMA regarding unifying our shows, but the NCMA continues their commitment to the MCPX partnership through 2008. The first opportunity for our co-location will be in 2009. Mike can comment further on those developments.