LAS VEGAS — The 50th edition of The world of concrete (WOC), hosted by Informa Markets and held January 22-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, promises to be both memorable and productive for exhibitors and attendees. This year’s show will span more than 700,000 net square feet (NSF) of indoor and outdoor space, up from 587,000 NSF in 2023, and will host more than 1,400 exhibitors from 35 countries.
The WOC team focuses on the show community and finds ways to support it by actively listening to audiences to learn what relevant and useful content to incorporate into the show. The team adjusts content and messaging based on new trends and products, which keeps people coming back to the show year after year and strengthens relationships with exhibitors.
“This year, our theme is ‘A Legendary Event for a Legendary Year,’ to commemorate not only the event itself, but also the exhibitors and attendees who have helped support the growth of the industry through their presence at World of Concrete. We’re offering 50 additional education tracks this year, including eight new sessions focused on emerging leaders, new networking lounges on the show floor, and an incredible lineup of speakers, some of whom have been involved with WOC for over 20 years. We’re also donating 50 trees to commemorate our anniversary year to the Las Vegas Tree Initiative to help mitigate the urban heat island effect,” said Kevin Thornton, Senior Vice President, Infrastructure and Construction at Informa Markets.
The trade fair’s milestone anniversary is generating enthusiasm not only among participants, but also among the Informa Markets team.
“I am very excited to see the community come together again, not only to do business and make important connections, but also to celebrate the hard work, skills and knowledge that continue to drive the industry. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year, we want to recognize all the individuals and companies that are making an impact across the entire construction industry. World of Concrete is the second largest show in Las Vegas, and it means a lot to our community, both for their businesses and their personal development,” said Thornton.
Programming and Education
WOC provides attendees with top-notch educational content year after year, and the team added new aspects this year to attract even more attendees to the sessions.
“Our sessions have been three hours or 90 minutes, but this year we decided to test one-hour sessions. We were hoping to primarily appeal to attendees who were just there for the show and might not have enough time to attend a longer session. It was almost a teaser trailer session to give them a taste of what our program is all about. A week after the show, we are seeing great success with these Fast Facts sessions,” said Christen Tye, CEM, WOC’s Training Manager.
In addition to the Fact Facts sessions, WOC is adding a workshop this year to address the younger generation and focus on their options in the industry as a career path. The Emerging Leader track is inspired by the 50th anniversary of the show and the increasing focus on integrating the next generation into the concrete industry. The track was introduced not only for those starting out in the industry, but also for those who may have been in the industry for a while but are looking for their next step into a leadership position.
WOC also uses its speakers as marketing channels, as they are advocates for the show and great at spreading the word about the show to their networks. Tye said having speakers double as marketers also allows them to have a sense of ownership over their session and make an impact on attendees.
To help guide programming, the WOC team emphasizes obtaining evaluations from participants and even provides evaluations on paper, as they have found this to be the easiest method to get more feedback.
“Our attendee feedback is very important to us as it is what drives our program forward. Our program speakers also value attendee feedback as they are always looking for ways to improve as speakers and in the content they bring to our program. Our team also works closely with an advisory board of industry experts from different segments. Their input into our program is invaluable as they are up to date with the latest industry developments,” said Tye.
WOC 2025 is scheduled for January 21-23, with educational programming taking place January 20-23.
Contact Informa Markets Infrastructure and Construction Public Relations at IC.PR@informa.com