The Building Contractors Association of Indiana held its 33rd Annual BCA Construction & Design Expo Sept. 15 and 16 in Fort Wayne, Ind.
BCA Executive Director Lori Harvey explained that while this was the 33rd edition of the show, in many ways it was an entirely new event for the association. For years, the show had been held at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum during March, but this year the show moved to a new date and a new location.
The move to the Allen County Fairgrounds provided more space for exhibitors to display their equipment and allowed attendees an opportunity to see many of the machines in action. The new venue encompassed nearly 20 acres with more than 60,000 sq. ft. of exhibit area, including inside and outside spaces. More than 140 exhibitors were on hand to showcase equipment, supplies and services.
The show was established in 1976 as a networking and educational event for Building Contractors Association members. Since then the event has come to be recognized as an interactive forum for industry professionals from the residential and commercial building, architectural, engineering fields as well as property managers and municipal employees.
In addition to the vendor exhibits, the show featured a backhoe rodeo, tool belt olympics, safety demos, workshops and auctions on both days conducted by Alex Lyon & Son.
The opening night BCA bash drew a large crowd of industry professionals who came to enjoy a hog roast and entertainment by local county music favorites, Backwater.
The backhoe rodeo was sponsored by B&W Equipment Co., MacAllister Machinery, MacDonald Machinery and Southeastern Equipment Co., all of whom donated machines for use in the event.
