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While winter slows down or even halts construction completely, the season is also an opportune time for construction industry members to improve their skills, learn about innovations, and keep abreast of new trends, practices and equipment in their specific sector.

And that’s the rationale for the timing of the Canadian Concrete Expo, which is returning for the sixth time to the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont., Feb. 14 and 15.

Billed as Canada’s only national trade show dedicated to the concrete, construction and aggregate industries, it will feature a 2,787-square-metre exhibition floor with more than 350 national and international exhibitors.

More than 40 conference sessions covering everything from business advice for contractors to keeping structures watertight will be conducted, along with live demonstrations and stage presentations will be featured.

Some of the sessions include Tilt-up a Re-emerging Design Technology, Expedited Concrete Rehabilitation, and Concrete Standards for Concrete Contractors.

There is even one titled What can Taylor Swift teach us about how to make Construction welcoming for women? It will be delivered by Grand Valley Construction Association president Jeff MacIntyre.

Another major event, and one that has been expanded from previous years, is the show’s popular large equipment demonstration. It will feature collaborative live indoor pours showcasing new practices and products in concrete wall forms, insulated forms, foam and decorative form materials and other industry advances.

Some of the equipment that will be on display will include truck mounted booms and scissor lifts, all terrain forklift trucks, concrete pump and mixer trucks, floor grinders, plus construction and surface preparation equipment, says Canadian Concrete Expo president Stuart Galloway.

As that equipment will be coming from all across North America, with some from Europe, the Canadian Concrete Expo works with an official transport carrier that completes customs clearance and other necessary documentation, he says.

More 2,000 people have already registered and an estimated 8,000 attendees are expected. That prediction is based on the more 6,000 concrete aggregates and construction industry members who attended the 2023 expo, says Galloway.

“The record attendance speaks volumes about the need for the continuation of face-to-face events and it was fabulous to see the return of record attendance, not only for CCE but what seems like a trend for trade shows throughout North America,” he says.

There are more than 60 concrete and related associations who sponsor and endorse the expo as well as recommending speakers and topics of interest, he says.

For more details on the show, schedules, and how to take advantage of special hotel rates visit CanadianConcreteExpo.com.

The concrete industry isn’t the only sector providing educational opportunities for its members this winter. Also scheduled is the Ontario Road Builders’ Association’s (ORBA) popular Road Building Academy, which will run from Feb. 26 to March 1.

Based on feedback from previous academies, the 2024 program will feature 21 courses including eight online sessions from previous years and 11 new courses. The in-person sessions will be held at the BMO Institute for Learning in Toronto.

The courses will focus on four specific categories: management and leadership, business and professional, technical safety, and law and legal matters.

One of the highlights will be an Adaptive Excellence: Harnessing the Adaptability Quotient (AQ) for Resilience, Inclusion and Growth in the Workplace seminar by communications specialist Nancy Watt.

Consisting of a series of workshops, the course will focus on the AQ, a learning and development metric that measures an individuals ability to adapt in the workplace.

ORBA members can take advantage of the Canada-Ontario Job Grant program which provides direct financial support to companies for employee training.

Approximately 300 industry members are expected to attend and anyone interested in registering should do so before Feb. 1, says ORBA marketing and communications director Guru Missar.

“This deadline ensures we can adequately prepare for the number of participants and provide them with the best possible experience.”

Planning for the academy is “a meticulous and ongoing process” and once one is completed, planning for the next year’s session begins. It starts with a comprehensive review of feedback from students, which is crucial to the program’s continuous improvement, he says.

For more information visit orba.org.