Events

Icon Expo Events: Friday, March 19 - Saturday, March 20:
GREEN SCENE Don’t miss this exciting new pavilion in the center of the Icon Expo show floor, specifically highlighting exhibitors’ eco-friendly, sustainable, green, innovative and unique products. This multi-media venue presents informative material to attendees via print, video and 3-D display. Stop in and learn more about how GREEN can help your business grow!
DEMO AREA	Join the excitement at the NCMA Demo Area and see the past SkillsUSA National winners teaming up with the Georgia Tech Department of Architecture national winners of the 2009 NCMA Student Unit Design Competition to build new and creative projects on site.  Representing high school and post secondary these are the finest future masons in the United States trained by their respected instructors at their schools.  Watch as they lay the block and brick with not only speed but accuracy in order to complete the project. Georgia Tech will be demonstrating innovative new software developed under a grant from the NCMA Education and Research Foundation that will completely design modern and futuristic complex wall forms of concrete masonry — curved, nonvertical, and corbelled walls — nearly anything imaginable.
MECHANICAL BULL RIDING COMPETITION Come demonstrate your skills each day in the Mechanical Bull Riding Competition. There will be a daily competition and the rider who can hang on the longest will be announced.  On Saturday the two daily winners will compete for the Best in Show.  Everyone will have the opportunity to win prizes!
SPOUSE/GUEST OPTIONAL EVENTS  Optional events include: • NCMA Business Lunch and Vision 2020 Kickoff • NCMA/ICPI Design & Safety Awards • NCMA/ICPI Plant Tour as well as other optional tours and events Click Here for more information on the NCMA Companion/Spouse Package.
ICON EXPO BOOKSTORE   The Icon Expo bookstore features publications on concrete masonry and hardscape issues pertinent to exhibitors and attendees and is the largest source of industry related publications for sale in a single location — a collection of design, construction, technical and marketing material.  Publications from NCMA, ICPI, CSI, PCA and other organizations are on display and available for purchase at member prices for all trade show attendees.  Icon Expo attendees who register for a package prior to January 29, 2010, will receive a $20 discount coupon to be used at the bookstore toward the purchase of select items totaling $100 or more.  The bookstore is conveniently located on the Icon Expo tradeshow floor and is open during show hours.
ICON EXPO NETWORKING PAVILION The Icon Expo Networking Pavilion will be one of three pavilions located directly on the tradeshow floor.  The Networking pavilion offers Icon Expo attendees and exhibitors an opportunity to enjoy refreshments while networking with colleagues and future business partners.
NCMA RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY The Icon Expo Lab Booth will feature displays and demonstrations of testing methods used for concrete masonry and hardscape products. The booth is staffed by Lab personnel who are able to answer questions related to testing procedures and product specifications.
CLOSING KEYNOTE: THE ECONOMIC FORECAST Saturday, March 20: 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Speaker: Ed Sullivan, Portland Cement Association     Do you know what the economic climate will be in the near future, what trends are influencing it, and how they will affect your business? Are you well positioned to take advantage of tomorrow’s economic reality? Please join us for the Closing Keynote with presenter Ed Sullivan, the nationally acclaimed and highly effective Chief Economist. This program is open to all Icon Expo attendees at no extra charge. Don’t base your budget on guesswork; come and find out the facts and figures that will help you push through the recession and come out on top.
Wednesday, March 17:
NCMA WELCOME TO SAN ANTONIO BREAKFAST PRESENTATIONS(Companion/Spouse Package) 9:00 am - 10:00 am Get an overview of San Antonio and Icon Expo tours available while enjoying a continental breakfast, catching up with old friends and making new ones.  A San Antonio representative will be on hand to answer questions.
NCMA BOOK TALK (Companion/Spouse Package) 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Join Renee Finch and the other spouses and guests for a morning discussion of Alamo Heights by Scott Zesch.  Most people are familiar with the siege of the Alamo in 1836, but many do not realize that there was a second battle in the early twentieth century.  In 1903, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas began fighting a large eastern company for the old warehouse that was once the mission convent. With the property secured, infighting between two factions of the DRT, led by Clara Driscoll and Adina de Zavala, divided the organization and endangered the Alamo again.  At one point, Adina de Zavala barricaded herself inside for three days to protect the building from demolition.   Scott Zesch’s novel, Alamo Heights, is a fictional account of the battle to preserve the Texas landmark.  More than simply a book on history, it is a story about the people behind the events.  Each character has a hidden agenda: Rose Herrera, the character based on de Zavala, wants to protect the Alamo as a symbol of her heritage.  To do so, she must fight a corrupt legislator, a powerful eastern syndicate, and her former friends.
NCMA CRUISIN' & EXPLORIN' SAN ANTONIO (Companion/Spouse Package) 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm Guests will enjoy a privately chartered river Cruiser with a barge captain who will provide historical and entertaining commentary as you pass through the pages of San Antonio history. The tour includes a stop at San Fernando Cathedral, which is a special place that occupies a unique position in this city and for the many visitors who come by the thousands every year.  From its founding on March 9, 1731 by a group of 15 families who came from the Canary Islands at the invitation of King Phillip V of Spain, the church has grown to over 5,000 weekly participants at Mass.  Next guests will travel by the Ursuline Academy/Southwest School of Art and Craft.  One of the only remaining evidences of our French heritage can be seen in the French gothic style of the Ursuline Academy established in 1851 by French Ursuline nuns on the banks of the San Antonio River.  It has now become a center for art and craft and is truly a gem in San Antonio. Guests will disembark at the Paseo del Alamo, an architecturally interesting walkway which connects the river, known as the lifeblood of the city to the Alamo, its true heart.  The tour guide will point out the Alamo Cenataph, a marvelous sculpture by Pompeo Copini as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by the Alamo heroes, the Alamo and take you through the lobby of the historic Menger Hotel.
NCMA PDCC FORUM 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm  Concrete masonry and hardscape producers always enjoy this bi-annual event where they have the opportunity to discover great new products! This forum puts into action the charge of the Production Development and Creative Concepts Subcommittee which is to support and advance the development of new and existing concrete masonry products, methods of production, innovation in block and brick designs and systems integration within markets, through the continuous search for new products and uses for concrete masonry.
NCMA FAMILY BUSINESS FORUM 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm Come learn practical, powerful techniques to enable your company to thrive and to preserve the assets you have worked so hard to acquire.
NCMA MEMBER RECEPTION 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Join Chairman Mike Finch and NCMA Members for an evening of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at this wonderful networking reception at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio.
Thursday, March 18:
NCMA CPUSM  ROUNDTABLE BREAKFAST 7:00 am - 8:00 am Join your fellow NCMA members for a family-style continental breakfast and engage in one of several discussions focusing on critical challenges and opportunities for the industry.  Location: Grand Hyatt
NCMA ZUMBA® (Companion/Spouse Package) 9:00 am - 10:00 am Zumba® fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy to follow moves to create a dynamic fitness program that will blow you away!  The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt while burning fat.  Add some Latin flavor and International zest into the mix and you’ve got ZUMBA®!
NCMA SIZZLING HOT SAN ANTONIO (Companion/Spouse Package) 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm Want to really mix things up and get sizzling?  We have the perfect recipe!  Guests will be treated to Aldaco’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina for lunch, libation and learning – Tortilla 101 and Margarita 101 with Chef Richard Jimenez.  Richard offers hands on demonstration of the art of making the perfect Spanish rice, Avocado Salsa and the Perfect Margarita.  Chef Richard brings more than thirty years of culinary expertise to Sunset Station.  Since 2003 Chef Richard has been creating masterpiece events for the tens of thousands of Sunset Station guests that have dined on his exceptional cuisine.  Richard received the title, “Chef to the Stars”, after years of traveling the United States with his own motion picture catering company.  Richard and his culinary team have received numerous awards from various industry associations. The most recent honor was the 2006 Manager of the Year award by the Texas Restaurant Association.  Chef Richard has built an exceptional culinary team at Sunset Station which brings to life the flavors of Texas, Mexico and the World.
NCMA BUSINESS LUNCHEON AND VISION 2020 KICKOFF 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm Member: $50   Nonmember: $60 Join NCMA members for the 10th annual convention Business Luncheon where discussion will surround Vision 2020 –a collective effort by national and regional industry partners to recapture lost masonry market share and build it even further by the year 2020.  Attendees will learn how to develop a “Vision 2020 Team”; what “Community Planning” is all about and how to work with it; Enacting a Masonry Planning Policy; Sustainable Masonry & Hardscape Communities and much more.
Friday,  March 19:
NCMA CPUSM  EDUCATION BREAKFAST: HOW CONCRETE MASONRY CAN BE POSITIONED AS AN ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING MATERIAL 7:00 am - 8:00 am Instructor: Canan D’avela, Western Block Company, Inc.  The sustainability movement is fully upon us, and the economic climate is causing building owners and design professionals to look for ways to minimize operational costs. Come learn how concrete masonry can be promoted as an energy-efficient, sustainable building system. Location: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
CABERNET & CURIOUS 11:00 am - 3:00 pm $89 This tour showcases the Texas Hill Country history, both the history of the land and the history of the people.  First guests will enjoy the fruits of ancient Texas at Dry Comal Creek Vineyards, nestled in a small protected valley.  Proprietor, Franklin Houser, has honed his passion for the grape into a quality winery.  All of his vines and wines receive personal care and tending.  From the picking to the bottling, every step is completed by hand.  Guests will taste four unique styled wines with Mr. Houser who will give an explanation of each wines history and “character.”  The next stop is Gruene, Texas, a turn-of-the-century cotton farming community, located on the banks of the Guadalupe River.  This quaint little town is an assortment of restaurants, antique stores, specialty shops and even their own wine tasting venue.  And don’t forget to visit the proclaimed oldest dance hall in Texas, Gruene Hall.  Guests will have time to investigate the many and varied treasures which can be found.  The guide will have a complimentary coupon that is good for an old fashioned ice cream cone or treat at the authentic General Store located on the main street.
NCMA POLITICAL FUNDRAISER FOR REP. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ (D-TX) 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm NCMA will host a fundraising reception for Representative Solomon P Ortiz (D-TX) on Friday, March 19 during the NCMA annual convention in San Antonio. This event continues a string of successful fundraisers that NCMA’s Political Action Committee (PAC) has orchestrated for members of Congress with which NCMA desires to establish closer ties. It is an excellent opportunity for NCMA members to develop a strong working relationship with an influential member of the political community. Rep Ortiz is Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee on the House Armed Services Committee. He also serves on the influential House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.
NCMA PAC RECEPTION 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Join your politically minded colleagues for an evening of food, drink and merriment at the ever-popular Political Action Committee (PAC) Reception on Friday, March 19. If you are a member of the NCMA PAC or just looking into how you can participate more effectively in the political process, you owe it to yourself to attend this prestigious event. Join other members and spouses in NCMA’s effort to raise visibility and support for the NCMA PAC’s continuing mission to promote federal candidates who share industry views on issues that directly affect your business and the concrete masonry and hardscape industry.
Saturday, March 20:
NCMA/ICPI SAFETY AND DESIGN AWARDS 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Member: $85   Nonmember: $100 Join us to honor the winners of the NCMA/ICPI Design Awards of Excellence and the winners of the NCMA/ICPI Safety Awards.  This great networking event will include dinner, followed by recognition of the NCMA and ICPI member production facilities with the best recordable injury rates.  Finally, the evening will culminate with recognition of the best concrete masonry and hardscape projects and the architects who designed and built them.
NCMA/ICPI BLOCK & PAVER PLANT TOUR 6:30 am - 11:00 am Member: $85   Nonmember: $155 Attendees of the Block/Paver Plant Tour will have the opportunity to visit three plants located in the San Antonio area, including Pavestone, Featherlite Building Products, and Headwaters: • Pavestone is a modern facility producing pavers and segmental retaining walls • Featherlite Building Products produces gray block, architectural block and segmental retaining walls and has recently added product development in the areas of blended colors, pitched face and LEED block • The Headwaters plant is a turnkey operation producing retaining walls, trailer pads, custom block and split and standard units. A feature was also added to recycle less than perfect units right from the splitting line. The Plant Tour is sponsored by:
CLOSING KEYNOTE ADDRESS: THE ECONOMIC FORECAST 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Speaker: Ed Sullivan, Portland Cement Association   Do you know what the economic climate will be in the near future, what trends are influencing it, and how they will affect your business? Are you well positioned to take advantage of tomorrow’s economic reality? Please join us for the Closing Keynote with presenter Ed Sullivan, the nationally acclaimed and highly effective Chief Economist. This program is open to all Icon Expo attendees at no extra charge. Don’t base your budget on guesswork; come and find out the facts and figures that will help you push through the recession and come out on top.