Concrete progress on pandemic as trade shows reopen in person

Concrete progress on pandemic as trade shows reopen in person

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Thousands of people will descend next week on Las Vegas, a city synonymous with hedonistic excess, to watch cement dry. 

It is almost 40 years since Steve Hill attended his first World of Concrete event, but he has never been more excited about a trade show than this one. It is not just the prospect of seeing the latest mixer trucks or watching concrete finishing competitions; it is that WOC 2021 will mark the return of conventions to a city whose economy depends on them and an industry struggling to replicate their attractions online. 

After decades in the ready-mix concrete industry, Hill is now chief executive of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority, the body tasked with attracting visitors to the Nevada gambling hub and the owner of the convention centre that will host the Informa-run show. 

Last year, as coronavirus shuttered casinos and exhibition halls, the total number of visitors to Las Vegas dropped by 55 per cent to 19m. But while occupancy on the Strip has doubled since January to two-thirds of the usual level, the LVCVA has recorded the number of convention goers at zero or "not available“ every month