The World of Asphalt education conference, meanwhile, is divided into five tracks: people; plants; paving; pavement preservation; and environment, health, safety and sustainability.
“The People, Plants & Paving offerings are essential to the asphalt pavement industry,” says Audrey Copeland, president and CEO of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), which is the majority owner of World of Asphalt. “Now is the time to look through the education sessions and create your list of sessions you can use to build your skill set, and then register.”
NAPA describes its five education tracks in the following ways:
• People. Focuses on the important skills necessary to maximize job performance.
• Plants. Experts will evaluate and improve plant performance and keep the plant operating at peak levels.
• Paving. Learn important techniques to construct safe and smooth quality pavements at optimum efficiency and enhanced profitability.
• Pavement preservation. Learn techniques used to extend the life of pavements such as seal coats, in-place recycling and crack sealing.
• Environment, health, safety and sustainability (EHS&S). Obtain the tools, best practices and innovations to build a world-class EHS&S culture.
“We’re proud of the educational lineup we have assembled for the asphalt paving industry,” Schmidtke says. “We listen to what the industry and our attendees are saying about what they need, and make sure to have it.”
AGG1’s history
AGG1, which was originally dubbed AGG1 Aggregates Forum & Expo, was developed 15 years ago to provide education, networking and exhibits in one place for aggregate producers.
The inaugural show co-located with World of Asphalt, and NAPA’s People Plants & Paving program was incorporated. Additionally, NSSGA coincided its annual convention with AGG1 to provide added convenience for its members.
The inaugural show took place in March 2009 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The show debuted in the midst of the Great Recession.
“Most of us had never lived through a downturn so severe,” says Rob Fulop, the publisher of Pit & Quarry who attended the very first AGG1 as a representative of the magazine. “Most of us were very nervous, and the timing for a new show couldn’t have been worse.”
At the time, some manufacturers were not convinced the industry needed an event like AGG1. Some weren’t sure they wanted to support it.
The show went on, though.
As if the struggling economy didn’t provide enough drama for AGG1 in its first year, the second iteration of the show in Cincinnati brought yet another reason to worry in the form of a snowstorm. The 2010 show was held in February of that year at the Duke Energy Convention Center.
“The idea of a show in a northern city like Cincinnati in February was questioned by many, but the show had already been locked in,” Fulop says. “Everyone’s greatest fears were realized when there was a fluke snowstorm. I think it was 6 to 8 in. and the city was not prepared, having a limited number of snowplows.”
Fortunately, the snow turned out to be a blessing in disguise for some exhibitors.
“It turned out to be a pretty good show,” Fulop says. “The prevailing thought was that even though it was lightly attended, ‘real’ buyers had attended and the snow had discouraged many of the tire kickers.”
Despite some turbulence at the start, AGG1 has grown in both attendance and square footage in the years that followed. From its first years, AGG1 has shifted to cities like Charlotte, San Antonio, Baltimore and Houston.
“AGG1 continues to grow and be a bigger and bigger show,” Johnson says. “I’ve now been with NSSGA a little over 10 years, and we have seen steady growth in AGG1 – as we’ll see again in 2024 in Nashville.”
Featured photo: World of Asphalt
