Equipment, education take center stage at AGG1 2019

By Kevin Yanik| January 23, 2019

The AGG1 road takes aggregate producers, equipment suppliers and industry stakeholders to Indianapolis this February.

Held in Houston last year, AGG1 Aggregates Academy & Expo shifts to Indianapolis in 2019. Photo courtesy of NSSGA

The trade show component of AGG1 Aggregates Academy & Expo sold out back in October, and the host National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) expects the Feb. 12-14 expo to be its largest since AGG1 launched 10 years ago. The trade show, which co-locates with World of Asphalt, will feature more than 400 exhibitors across 185,000 sq. ft. of the Indiana Convention Center, according to NSSGA.

“We will have 205 aggregate-focused exhibitors featuring 45 new exhibits,” says Pamala Bouchard, vice president of membership and meetings at NSSGA.

Show attendance is expected to be up, as well, with registration numbers as of early December tracking ahead of the 2018 event held in Houston.

Educational opportunities

The AGG1 Academy will have plenty for producers to choose from, as well, with 60 educational sessions covering an assortment of areas. Workforce challenges will be addressed in several sessions, including ones about empowering employees, recruiting young people and bringing gender balance to the industry.

“NSSGA’s Meetings & Education Committee conducted an education survey in early 2018, and one of the main takeaways was that our members want NSSGA to take a more active role in helping members attract a younger workforce to our industry – and keep them once they’re here,” Bouchard says. “To that end, we’ve added several classes in our management and business development track that focus on those issues.”

One AGG1 Academy session titled “Late Bloomers” will feature Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard discussing how businesses can tap into older workers as a labor pool and how to identify individuals who can be of value to the company.

Presentations will also be delivered on the AGG1 trade show floor this year. A stage will be set up in the center of the show floor, and vendors will deliver 20-minute product presentations across three days.

AGG1 2019

Location: Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis
Dates: Feb. 12-14
Trade show hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday;
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday

The coming years

Houston, Nashville and Baltimore are the latest cities to call AGG1 Aggregates Academy & Expo home. Once the 2019 show in Indianapolis is a wrap, the U.S. aggregate industry will next gather for a national trade show in 2020 at ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas. AGG1 returns in 2021, when the show shifts to Nashville for a second time.