News Detail

Record Attendance at the ACI Virtual Concrete Convention

10/30/2020

The recent ACI Virtual Concrete Convention attracted a record attendance of 2,937 professionals and students from around the world.

“The ACI Virtual Concrete Convention enabled the critical work of the Institute to continue moving forward,” stated Ronald G. Burg, PE, Executive Vice President, American Concrete Institute. “Additionally, the virtual format provided the opportunity for much greater participation from students, professionals, and our global colleagues.”

Originally scheduled to take place in Raleigh, NC, USA, the virtual convention enabled committees to collaborate on advancing concrete codes, specifications, and practices during hundreds of meetings. Technical and educational sessions provided the latest concrete research, case studies, best practices, and the opportunity to earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs).

Top projects in the ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards were announced during an evening celebration sponsored by Advancing Organizational Excellence (AOE), and several virtual networking and special events took place, including the new Architects’ Day, and an International Forum and lunch with special guest Erleen Hatfield.

During the Opening Session, Jeffrey W. Coleman, ACI President, announced a challenge to raise $1 million as part of the ACI Foundation’s annual appeal. The challenge applies to the remainder of his term as president through March 2021.

ACI conventions are well known for their student competitions. At this convention, a total of 18 teams representing 6 countries participated virtually in a student competition during the convention. The objective of the Concrete Solutions Competitions was for teams to demonstrate and  explain how their use of concrete could positively impact the world at large. The teams submitted a seven-minute video submission prior to the convention and were later interviewed by a panel of judges via Zoom during the convention. The overall winner was Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador). Read more about the competition.

The convention was generously supported by Baker Concrete Construction, GCP Applied Technologies, EFCO Corporation, University of Illinois - Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and additional sponsors.

The ACI Virtual Concrete Convention continues the tradition as the world’s gathering place for advancing concrete. The next ACI Concrete Convention is scheduled for March 28-April 1, 2021.