Representing the very best
CISCA’s 38th Annual Convention and INTEX Expo ’08! Fantastic!
CISCA’s 38th annual Convention and our Joint CISCA / AWCI InTex Expo ’08 just concluded in The Beautiful Paris and Bally’s Hotels in exciting Las Vegas Nevada! CISCA’s last trip to Las Vegas was in 2003, before the inception of The InTex Trade Show Concept.
This year was absolutely outstanding! All CISCA Events were booked to capacity and The InTex Trade Show included more than 400 booths and 4000 visitors! The largest crowd attending a CISCA Event in our 53 years!
A new tighter format was introduced this year, Monday through Thursday, enabling attendees to participate in all events in four days. The schedule was a challenge, due to The Easter Holiday, but attendance was at a record breaking pace.
Our CISCA Convention commenced with the welcome reception on Monday Evening in the top floor of the Bally Hotel. Many old and new friendships were renewed, and the event complemented with the incredible amount of new construction evident in all directions on and near The Las Vegas Strip!
Tuesday was education and Independent Manufacturers’ Representative Sales Meeting Day. The schedule was demanding, with all meetings well attended and designed to enable maximum participation by all interested CISCA Members and Visitors.
Tuesday Evening included the Annual CISCA / AWCI Presidents Joint Reception! The Sky view Rooms in Bally’s North Tower were crowded with convention attendees, with the opportunity for both CISCA and AWCI Members to mingle and compare notes since last years exciting event.
Wednesday Morning kicked off with The CISCA Annual Awards of Excellence Breakfast in the elegant Paris Hotel Convention Center! A crowd of more than 275 people filled The Paris Hotel Versailles Ballroom. 100 plus projects were submitted by CISCA Members for our annual competition. Entries varied from smaller unique signature designs to multi million dollar airport and corporate headquarter projects. Categories varied from renovation to new construction with all projects divided into one of four appropriate regional divisions.
This is the second year that CISCA has incorporated the regional concept, assuring interesting submittals and winners from all regions of The USA and some from around the world.
The Founder’s Award was won by a CISCA Member from Australia for a project in The United Arab Emirates. A truly international CISCA Annual Award of Excellence! Many participants indicated that they were already planning new projects for our program next year in Nashville.
Immediately following The Awards Breakfast was The Grand Opening of InTex Expo ’08 in both The Paris and Bally Hotels!
Wednesday evening started with The Annual New Members Reception in The Presidents Suite. Well attended by new members and all CISCA Board Members, it is an important opportunity for new members to become acquainted with CISCA Leadership, ask questions, offer suggestions and have a relaxing and enjoyable time.
Following The New Members Reception was our annual Presidents Cocktail Party and Dinner. The entertainment was �The Rat Pack�! Bearing incredible resemblance to the original members, they attended our cocktail party, mingling with the crowd and posing for photographs with our members! Their entertainment was memorable and left many humming some of their favorite tunes from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s!
Thursday Morning began with the long awaited economic forecast presented by a CISCA Favorite and one of the nation’s leading economists and financial advisors, Dr. Robert J. Genetski. His presentation was fascinating with many upbeat comments concerning the current state of, and future of commercial construction. His discussion regarding the current state of The USA Housing Market and its long term prospects was very informative and offered a positive outlook for the future.
Immediately following Dr. Genetski’s Presentation, The InTex Expo �08 re opened for it’s final session. Many individuals had the opportunity to share their experiences of the past few days and revisit booths that had particularly interested them on Wednesday. Attendance was brisk and many began planning for their booth locations next year in Nashville.
InTex 2008 offered a concrete reminder to those present of the benefits of membership in CISCA. Our CISCA Convention and InTex Trade Show offer individuals an opportunity to network with the leaders of our industry. To meet the leading Contractors, Manufacturers, Distributors, Independent Manufacturers Representatives and Service Associates. An opportunity to become familiar with new products and systems, develop relationships with individuals with the ability to help their business grow! Attendees’ comments continue to be incredibly positive, many leave CISCA with new and exciting concepts that they will put to immediate use in their business’s to increase productivity and profits.
The combination of CISCA and AWCI at a single location and time ensures all present that the major players in our industry will be represented, offering both new and old members a unique opportunity to have an impact in the interior construction industry.
If you feel something could be added to make our annual event even more worthwhile, please contact CISCA Headquarters. It is CISCA’s intent to continue to develop a world class organization for the future of the interior construction industry!
Cheers!
William L. Shannon CSI, CISCA
President of Shannon Corporation
Recipient of the 2004 De Gelleke Award