BCMC | FS 2023 Biggest Industry Event Since 2006
Originally Published by: SBCA Magazine — September 26, 2023
SBCA appreciates your input; please email us if you have any comments or corrections to this article.
BCMC | FS 2023 drew a larger crowd than the BCMC Committee had expected when it met last December and began planning for the show. In total 2,033 individuals attended the event last week, which represented a whopping 93.7% of the people who registered, and 66 more individuals than attended the previous high-water mark set in Columbus in 2022.
The exhibit floor was also bigger, with 121 exhibitor booths taking up 65,000 square feet of the Indianapolis Convention Center. It was a hotbed of the latest industry innovations and ingenious ideas, and exhibitors raved they experienced steady traffic throughout the event.
BCMC | FS expanded the value offered beyond the show floor. New in 2023, SBCA solicited proposals from exhibitors wanting to offer education to attendees. Out of the numerous applications, a panel of component-manufacturing judges chose five sessions they deemed would offer the greatest value. If attendance at these sessions was a good barometer, the judges chose wisely.
After the Tuesday education sessions concluded, many attendees poured into the BCMC Industry Roundtables and Framer Summit Roundtables. Respectively, 190 and 97 individuals sat down with their peers and discussed a wide range of timely issues from labor metrics and measurement to contract scope challenges.
On Tuesday night, SBCA celebrated its 40th anniversary by throwing an elegant birthday party for 424 guests, complete with fine dining, drinks, dancing, awards, and a look back at the association’s accomplishments over the previous four decades.
Wednesday, BCMC | FS officially kicked off with keynote speaker, Rob O’Neill. O’Neill is a former team leader and operator with the naval special warfare development group, Seal Team Six. In a rousing and inspirational speech to over 790 attendees, he touched upon several of the lessons he learned and wrote about in his New York Times best-selling memoir, “The Operator: Firing the Shots That Killed Osama bin Laden.”
The show floor opened immediately after his speech and the BCMC | FS education sessions started shortly thereafter. With a record 16 education sessions in 2023, this year’s event offered the widest array of peer-led education from, “Getting Creative on Your Value-Add,” to, “Harnessing the Power of Continuous Improvement.” There were multiple speakers from outside the industry, including John Burrows who hosted a lively and interactive negotiation workshop.
On Thursday morning, Zonda’s chief economist Ali Wolf, provided a robust market analysis and economic forecast to 572 rapt attendees. While the news was mostly positive for housing and the structural framing industry, Ali warned there are challenges ahead with regard to the Fed’s economic policies.
The show ended on Thursday afternoon with the traditional Industry Celebration. The festivities featured a Pinewood Derby tournament hosted by SBCA’s Launch Pad, a pop-a-shot contest for basketball enthusiasts, and a bean bag tournament. It was the perfect way to close a whirlwind week of learning, relationship building, and fun for a record number of people engaged in the structural framing industry!
Mark your calendars for BCMC | FS 2024, October 7-11 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.