Show time: the National Demolition Association returns to the Las Vegas strip for its 34th Annual Convention.Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. always draws a big crowd, and the National Demolition Association is expecting the same principle to apply this spring for its 34th Annual Convention. "Vegas is always a good show," says Michael R. Taylor, director of the association. "The industry likes it here--they get to gamble, go to shows, it's always very successful." On top of the attractive destination, the booming scrap market has pumped enthusiasm into the industry--and some extra disposable income disposable income Portion of an individual's income over which the recipient has complete discretion. To assess disposable income, it is necessary to determine total income, including not only wages and salaries, interest and dividend payments, and business profits, but also into its professionals' pockets--all factors that point to a well-attended show. Demolition industry professionals who attend the April 1-4 event at the Mirage will have access to educational programming, numerous networking opportunities and the chance to walk an exhibit hall floor featuring many of the latest equipment and service offerings to help them run their businesses. IN SESSION As in years past, the event's organizers strive to put together an educational program that appeals to a wide variety of interests within the demolition industry. Also, following the format of previous conventions, the breakout sessions run concurrently the morning of April 3 and then repeat later in the morning--giving attendees a chance to catch a session they may have missed. Differing slightly from the norm, the 2007 convention will feature two keynote speakers. George Hedley George Albert Hedley (Born 20 July 1876, South Bank, Middlesbrough) was a professional footballer who won the 1902 and 1908 FA Cup finals with Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively, scoring in both. He was also manager at Bristol City from 1913 to 1915. , a speaker on business issues and current owner of a $50 million construction business he built from $500 in just seven years, will be the first of two keynote speakers on April 2. He will be joined by Chad Hymas, a motivational and inspirational professional speaker who overcame an accident that left him a quadriplegic quadriplegic /quad·ri·ple·gic/ (-ple´jik) 1. of, pertaining to, or characterized by quadriplegia. 2. an individual with quadriplegia. . The breakout sessions will begin April 3 and will address a variety of timely issues facing the demolition industry, including workman's compensation, marketing and disaster response. Keynote speaker Hedley will return to give attendees a more detailed look at how to market their business in both good times and bad in his session called "Selling More Than Price." Following Hedley, Mark A. Lies II and Paula White Paula White is a preacher, life coach, author, motivational speaker, and former senior pastor of Without Walls International Church in Tampa, Florida. She and her husband, Randy White, have announced on August 23, 2007 that they will divorce. will speak on OSHA-related issues, such as how a company can work through the process if it is issued a violation. Richard J. Leamy Jr. will address liability and insurance in demolition contracts, and Paul W. Wiedner will discuss workers' compensation workers' compensation, payment by employers for some part of the cost of injuries, or in some cases of occupational diseases, received by employees in the course of their work. . On April 4, Tom Stahr will conclude the programming with a presentation on contractors' roles in emergency and disaster response situations. Stahr's presentation is part of an effort the association is undertaking in partnership with the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA OSHA n. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a branch of the US Department of Labor responsible for establishing and enforcing safety and health standards in the workplace. ) and the Department of Homeland Security Noun 1. Department of Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States to provide training for disaster site certification. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Taylor, the association has been working on this initiative with fire departments across the country. The National Demolition Association released a free educational training kit in March 2006 that offered information on how demolition contractors can supplement the work of first responders at disaster I sites. The goal is to produce a cadre of workers certified to respond to any kind of disaster, either natural of man-made, Taylor says. In addition to the numerous educational sessions, attendees of the National Demolition Association convention will also have access to a sold-out exhibit hall. ON DISPLAY By late January, the exhibit space for the association's 34th Annual Convention had already been sold out, according to Taylor. Some 135 companies will be on hand to show their latest equipment and service offerings to the convention's attendees. Taylor credits bullish business conditions with the success in attracting exhibitors. "The industry is doing quite well," he says. "A lot of guys are making money through recycling efforts, so the suppliers to the industry realize people are looking to buy." The event's organizers put a lot of effort into packing the exhibit hall every year, because Taylor says surveys the association have conducted show the exhibit hall is a chief reason for attending the show in the first place. When surveyed, some 65 percent of past attendees said they came for the exhibit hall, according to Taylor. "They come to support the industry, their colleagues and to network, of course," he says. "But they also come to see the products and services that put money in their pockets." The event's organizers have also scheduled a number of networking opportunities, including the annual golf tournament, which will take place the day before the convention starts, March 31, at the Silverstone Golf Club. Golfers should plan on an early start. Buses to the club will depart from the hotel at 6:30 a.m., and there is an 8 a.m. shotgun start A Shotgun Start is a golf tournament format in which all groups of players tee off simultaneously from different holes. Each hole on a course will be the tee off hole for each foursome. Group 1 would start from hole 1, Group 2 from hole 2, etc. . Pairings will be posted in the rotunda rotunda In Classical and Neoclassical architecture, a building or room that is circular in plan and covered with a dome. The Pantheon is a Classical Roman rotunda. The Villa Rotonda at Vicenza, designed by Andrea Palladio, is an Italian Renaissance example. of the Mirage's Convention Center on Friday, March 30. Several cocktail receptions and coffee breaks, as well as Monday night's Polynesian luau and Tuesday's annual banquet, are also on the convention agenda to give attendees the chance to mingle. The National Demolition Association's 34th Annual Convention will be April 1-4, 2007, at the Mirage on the Las Vegas strip The Las Vegas Strip (also known as The Strip) is a 4 mi (6.7 km) section of Las Vegas Boulevard South, most of which has been designated an All-American Road. . The full and most up-to-date agenda as well as registration and exhibitor information is available at the association's online home at www. demolitionassociation.com. Convention Schedule Sunday, April 1 Delegate Registration: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Board of Directors Meeting: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Exhibit Hall Open: Noon-4 p.m. Cocktail Reception: 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Monday, April 2 Delegate Registration: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Buffet Breakfast: 8 a.m.-9 a.m. Welcome 8 Introduction-Dave Whitley, Convention Committee Chairman: 9 a.m. Keynote Speaker: 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. George Hedley "Blue Print for Business Success" Coffee Break: 10:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m. Keynote Speaker: 10:45 a.m.-Noon Chad Hymas "Who Needs Legs When You Have Wings" Exhibit Hall Open: 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Buffet Lunch buffet lunch n → buffet m (almuerzo) buffet lunch n → lunch m buffet lunch n → Buffet nt : Noon-1:30 p.m. Exhibitor's Raffle: 3:30 p.m. Polynesian Luau: 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday, April 3 Delegate Registration: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Buffet Breakfast: 8 a.m.-9 a.m. Breakout Sessions: 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m. (Running Concurrently) George Hedley, "Sell More Than Price" Mark A. Lies, II and Paula White, "Contractors Rights & Responsibilities in the OSHA Compliance Process" Richard J. Leamy, Jr. and Paul W. Wiedner, "But It Wasn't Our Fault! Beware of Liability Shifting Devices in Demolition Contracts and Insurance Policies" and "Worker's Compensation 2007" Coffee Break: 10:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Breakout Sessions Repeat 10:30 a.m.-Noon Exhibit Hall Open: 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Buffet Lunch: Noon-1:30 p.m. Exhibitor's Raffle 3:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception: 7 p.m.-8 p.m. Annual Banquet: 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday, April 4 Speaker with Coffee 8 Danish Tom Stahr: 8 a.m.-10:30 a.m. "Skilled Support and Technical Assistance for First Response Teams" The Mirage The Mirage opened on the Las Vegas strip in 1989, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is a public agency that runs the Las Vegas Convention Center, Cashman Center, and Cashman Field and is responsible for the advertising campaigns for the Clark County, Nevada area. . The Polynesian-themed hotel and casino features a tropical atmosphere with waterfalls, lagoons and an erupting 54-foot volcano. The 20,000-gallon aquarium in the registration lobby contains an artificial coral reef coral reef Ridge or hummock formed in shallow ocean areas from the external skeletons of corals. The skeleton consists of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), or limestone. A coral reef may grow into a permanent coral island, or it may take one of four principal forms. home to 90 species of sharks, puffer puffer, common name for some tropical marine fish of the family Tetraodontidae. The puffers and their allies, the boxfish, the porcupinefish, and the ocean sunfish or headfish, form an odd group (order Tetraodontiformes). fish and angelfish angelfish: see butterfly fish. angelfish Any of various fishes of the order Perciformes. The best-known angelfishes are freshwater cichlids (genus Pterophyllum) popular in home aquariums. . The host hotel for the National Demolition Association's 34th Annual Convention offers a number of attractions to attendees outside of the show. Guests can check out the hotel's tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests generally found near the equator. They are common in Asia, Africa, South America, Central America, and on many of the Pacific Islands. as well as the dolphin and white tiger White tigers are individual specimens of the ordinary orange tiger (Panthera tigris), with a genetic condition that causes paler colouration of the normally orange fur (they still have black stripes). habitats. Additional onsite entertainment includes the Danny Gans Theater and the new Beatles-themed show LOVE by Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (French for "Circus of the Sun") is an entertainment empire based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier. . More information is available at www.visitlasvegas.corn and www.mirage.com. The author is associate editor of Construction & Demolition Recycling and can be contacted at jgubeno@gie. net. |
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