Mile High City hosts another successful show with near-record crowd.
The Precast Show headed West for 2024, spending three wonderful days in Denver, Colo., to get the business of concrete done.
More than 5,300 manufactured concrete industry professionals gathered for the Grand Opening on Thursday, Feb. 8, taking in the nearly 90,000-square-foot Show floor filled with 376 exhibitors.
NPCA members visited booths to see the latest technology and build relationships with vendors who help fuel the precast concrete industry. In addition to engaging displays, attendees were treated to T-shirt printing, virtual reality experiences and unique giveaways.
Here is a rundown of some of the key moments and events at The Precast Show 2024:
KEYNOTE LUNCHEON
Nearly 600 people attended Thursday’s Keynote Luncheon to celebrate the accomplishments of association members and kick off The Precast Show 2024.
A record 76 men and women received their gold hard hat and certificate as they graduated from the NPCA Master Precaster program. The signature NPCA education program includes two years of study covering precast basics, safety, production, technical, quality control and leadership.
This year’s class brings the total number of Master Precaster graduates to 433. That mark should surpass 500 during the 2025 show. Grads past and present were celebrated Friday night at The Bash.
The luncheon also included celebrations of the Leadership NPCA cohort, NPCA plant certification anniversaries, Safety Awards winners and Best Practices Awards winners as well as a keynote address delivered by Aron Ralston, whose incredible tale of survival inspired the Oscar-nominated film “127 Hours.”
BRENDA IBITZ SAYS GOODBYE
After decades of service to the precast industry and as manager of The Precast Show, NPCA Vice President of Development Brenda Ibitz will retire in April. The Precast Show 2024 marked her final event, and the Exhibitors Forum Breakfast provided the perfect opportunity to honor her contributions.
A team of Associate members, lead by Magda Muka, gathered donations, created a video montage and presented Ibitz with gifts during a special tribute to close the breakfast.
Ibitz is planning to move to Florida and pursue ministry in a Miami-area prison.
PLANT TOURS
Nearly 600 people woke up early Thursday morning to catch a bus to The Precast Show Plant Tours. One group headed to Lindsay Precast in Dacono, Colo., for a walking tour of the 42-acre property. A second group traveled to Wells in Brighton, Colo., where they drove through the 60-acre property.
The sold-out tours took attendees behind the scenes to see how Lindsay and Wells operate.
EDUCATION
Precast industry experts led two days of education classes, drawing 1,244 attendees for discussions on concrete production and repair, leadership and management, and quality control. This year’s show also included a track focused on workforce development, aiming to help members identi
y how to tackle retaining and developing their current workforces plus attract new employees.
Among the 1,244, attendees were a record number of individuals attending PQS classes, including 112 in PQS II – Production and 64 in PQS III – Leadership. These students took steps toward becoming Master Precasters by completing one of the six required courses.
PRIZE GIVEAWAYS
Spending time on the Show floor paid off in a big way for 10 lucky attendees. The Precast Show gave away more than $10,000 in prizes to randomly selected attendees, who were entered simply by walking through the doors.
Winners had 15 minutes after their name was called to meet the Prize Patrol Cart and claim their prize, which ranged from a wine chiller to the $5,000 grand prize, which was taken home by Alex Burkhart of Smith-Midland in Midland, Va.
STUDENT COMPETITION
The New Jersey Institute of Technology was crowned champion of the NPCA Foundation Student Design Competition, delivering the winning presentation on stage at The Precast Show. McNeese State, Cal State-Chico and Texas State also presented as finalists.
NJIT earned $7,000 in prize money, divided among participating students and the school’s Concrete Industry Management program.
SILENT AUCTION
The Silent Auction, a joint venture by the NPCA Foundation, PCI Foundation, ICPI Foundation and NCMA Foundation, raised more than $128,000 to advance the precast concrete industry through academic grants, scholarships and curricula development.
Big ticket items this year included tickets to the Kansas City Chiefs, top-of-the-line electronics, food packages and more.
FINAL EVENT
On Saturday night, attendees took a magical journey under the sea at Downtown Aquarium, home to 500 animal species, including Sumatran tigers, sting rays, sea turtles and large sharks.
Visitors were entertained by mermaids and divers as they walked through the exhibits, enjoying food and drinks along the way. They also had the opportunity to interact with a pair of tortoises and touch sting rays and jellyfish.
In the lounge, a raucous band played as members danced and celebrated another successful week at The Precast Show.