The 2008 annual convention of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI), March 23–27 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, will focus on education and networking—the elements that all attendees use to boost company profitability, improve management skills and enhance leadership strategies.

Education Sessions

As in previous years, AWCI’s conference will again be held in conjunction with the Ceilings & Interior Systems Construction Association (CISCA) conference and the INTEX Expo. Those who purchase full-registration tickets for AWCI’s annual convention can also attend any of the education sessions hosted by CISCA.

The following education sessions are being offered at the 2008 AWCI convention:

LEED, the New National Green Building Standard and Green Globes: It’s All Green, Are You? This session will arm construction professionals with the latest information available to qualify their next projects as “green.”

What You Need to Know about ConsensusDOCS. This session will address how ConsensusDOCS apportions the risks commonly encountered on projects.

BIM—What Is It, What Does It Mean to Me, and How Will It Affect My Business? Get the lowdown on Building Information Model and Building Information Modeling.

Overview of “Steel—Doing It Right” for Owners. The Steel—Doing It Right program has traveled the country training construction professionals in the latest standards and best practices for cold-formed steel framing. This session provides a snapshot of the topics covered including mid-rise construction, estimating, engineering practices, the code of standard practice and much more.

Improving Profitability Through Safety. Learn about the costs associated with accidents and the cost-effective elements of an effective safety program, then hear from an award-winning AWCI member whose company has been without a reportable injury since November 2005.

Understanding the Culture of Your Hispanic Workforce. This session will discuss how to effectively deal with and manage construction industry Hispanic employees, and give you practical ways to increase your awareness of Hispanic needs, increase cross-cultural communications and motivate workers.

The Productivity Nightmare: Software Applications that Don’t Talk. This panel is a discussion about what contractors and industry experts are doing to improve the flow of information from estimating to budgeting, to manning, to managing, to invoicing, to accounting, to inventory management.

Special Events

AWCI’s industry committee meetings will take place March 23–25, along with an all-day meeting of the Safety Directors Forum on the 25th.

Also on March 25 will be the Annual Foundation Golf Tournament at The Revere Golf Club, which has been consistently highly rated by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. Another option is the Foundation Shootout. This new event from the Foundation of the Wall and Ceiling Industry will take place at the award-winning Desert Lake Shooting Club in nearby Boulder City. This team-based shooting event will be played in a tournament-style format. Proceeds from both events will benefit the Foundation’s education, research and AWCI Cares programs.

In addition, there are receptions, the awards brunch, and the new Celebration Night on March 26. Celebration Night’s theme is The Fabulous 50s, and will feature music from the 1950s along with the traditional Silent and Live Auctions, which also benefit the Foundation.

The Silent Auction starts the evening, followed by a sit-down dinner. The Live Auction will be held during band breaks, along with raffle drawings. In a break with tradition, a Harley motorcycle will be raffled instead of a car and there will also be a jewelry raffle.

Hospitality Activities

Attendees and their spouses/guests will have the opportunity to enjoy hospitality activities, including:

The Jubilee! Backstage Tour. A visit to the stage to learn about the technology that makes a production of this scale possible.

Donn Arden’s Jubilee! Bally’s Las Vegas Show. The longest running stage spectacular features a cast of 85 and more than 1,000 costumes. Attendees can watch the performers dance on towering stages surrounded by incredible music along with the sinking of the Titanic.

City Highlights Tour. This tour down the Strip incorporates Las Vegas history with current information as well as future plans for growth. The tour will take participants from the Bellagio to the conservatory and Botanical Garden to the top of the Stratosphere.

For registration information, call (703) 538-1600 or visit www.awci.org.