Every year, World of Concrete (WOC) exhibitors submit their products to Concrete Construction’s Most Innovative Products Award Program, the only annual program recognizing all segments of the concrete and masonry industries. Eligible entries receive extensive exposure to show attendees and more than 100,000 readers of WOC’s official show magazines, who choose an Industry Choice in each product category by voting for their favorite nominations. Products also are reviewed by our editorial staff and an invited group to receive an Experts’ Choice Award or Editors’ Choice award. Entries submitted by Dec. 1, 2018, are included in the January 2019 show issue of Concrete Construction, World of Concrete Daily News, and on www.concreteconstruction.net. Winners are published in post-show issues of Concrete Construction and online at Concrete Construction Online.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR MIP 2019

November 1: final date to be included in Preshow Planner

December 1: final date for inclusion in editorial coverage in January Concrete Construction

December 1: final date for inclusion in WOC Daily News

December 1: final date to enter MIP 2019

December 15 to February 7, 2019: window for online voting

Categories for 2019

Choose the category that best fits your nominated product. If you are unsure of the category, please contact Bill Palmer, CC editor in chief, to discuss (wpalmer@hanleywood.com; 773-494-4619). We reserve the right to change products to a different category if we feel it would be a better fit. Choose from among these ten categories:

Materials for Concrete Construction—includes anchors, concrete-making materials (prepackaged mixes, cement, admixtures, and specialty concretes), reinforcement (including fibers, rebar accessories, joints, and load transfer devices), and water-resisting materials (vapor barriers, waterproofing materials, and curing/form release agents).

Repair/Demolition Materials, Tools, and Equipment—includes repair mortars, patching materials, corrosion protection, external strengthening reinforcement, and surface prep equipment (breakers, grinders, chippers, other repair tools).

General Construction Tools & Equipment—includes fleets (engines, trucks, trailers, and maintenance equipment), safety equipment, jobsite tools (compressors, hand tools, lighting, pumps, tool boxes), and site-prep equipment (skidsteers, compactors, forklifts, excavators, cranes).

Business & Technology—includes site layout equipment, software & apps, communication equipment, and testing equipment.

Concrete Construction Equipment—includes small mixers, reinforcing steel tools (cutters, benders, tying tools), placing equipment (pumps, conveyors, buckets, vibrators), concrete saws/blades & drills/bits, formwork & shoring (including ICFs), paving tools & equipment (paving machines, slipform machines, dowel drills, pervious equipment), and tilt-up tools & materials.

Slab Tools/Equipment & Materials—including strike-off tools/screeds, trowels, and surface finishing materials (dry shake hardeners, densifiers, trowel aids), joint sealers & fillers.

Concrete Surfaces & Decorative Concrete Equipment & Materials—stamping tools & materials, stains, color (integral, dry-shake), engraving tools, surface retarders, polishing equipment, hardeners/densifiers/guards, decorative overlays, coatings & sealers, self-leveling overlays.

Concrete Production and Delivery Equipment—includes, batching, material handling, mixing, heating and cooling equipment, mixer trucks & accessories, dispatch & scheduling tools, and water/washout control.

Precast & Block Production—precast forms and vibrators, release agent, hand tools, block-making equipment.

Masonry Materials and Equipment—includes bricks, blocks, masonry accessories, masonry tools, masonry equipment (braces, scaffold/mast-climbers, telehandlers).

Dust Control and Accessories - dust extraction equipment, hoses, vacuums, shrouds, attachments. 

Note that participation in the MIP program is open only to 2019 World of Concrete exhibitors. Other program guidelines are outlined on the registration form. Email questions to mipawards@hanleywood.com.

Awards

There are three award categories: Industry Choice, Experts’ Choice, and Editors’ Choice.

An Industry Choice Award is presented to one nominated product in each category, selected based on the most valid votes received in an on-line survey plus ballots submitted at the 2018 World of Concrete. A valid on-line vote is one cast from a unique IP address and is associated with a valid and unique email address. A valid vote cast on a paper ballot must include the WOC badge number, an email address, and the entrant’s signature. All industry professionals are eligible to cast ballots in this category.

The Experts’ Choice Award is presented to nominated products selected by a group of industry professionals. This group includes members of the World of Concrete Seminar Advisory council, members of industry technical organizations such as ACI, ASTM, and others, and faculty members of the Concrete Industry Management programs from around the country. Experts are asked to vote within their category of expertise. These experts analyze the technical nature of each product. Since many of the product nominees can have unique attributes even within the same category, there can be multiple awards in a category.

The Editors’ Choice Awards are selected by editorial staff members of Concrete Construction, The Concrete Producer, Masonry Construction, and Public Works. Editors are asked to review the nominees for the impact each will have on the entire industry. There can be multiple awards in a category.

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Promotional Benefits

Coverage of MIP nominated products is extensive across all brands and media platforms. This includes:

Pre-Show Editorial Coverage: For the 2019 MIP Award program, we are offering expanded coverage of the nominated products. The MIP Award Program is sponsored by the official World of Concrete media brand: Concrete Construction. In addition, all nominated products will receive exclusive promotion including:

• Each company nominating a product or service will receive a high res MIP logo that they can include in marketing efforts promoting their product.
• WOC Pre-Show Planner – A listing of all nominated products received by November 9, 2018, will be included in a special section of this digital magazine.
• The description of each nominated product will be submitted to the editorial staff of Concrete Construction, and Public Works. Products will be used by the appropriate magazines in their preshow coverage both in print and on-line.

Vote MIP: This special micro-site on the Concrete Construction website is linked to all of our publications. Online voting will begin around December 15, 2018 and end February 7, 2019. Each product will have its own special ballot page. The ballot page will include:

• Product name, image, exhibitor’s name, and booth number.
• Product Application Description. Using your submitted 500-word description, we will prepare an edited description of your product. In this description, you may either provide more information on the innovation behind the product development, or provide a case history or application story. This is an opportunity to demonstrate how contractors or producers have used the product to solve problems, increase job site efficiency, improve quality, or enhance safety. You may also submit up to 6 additional images of the product to support this application story.
• Link to exhibitor website
• Link to product website (if provided)

Onsite Promotion

•  A photo, exhibitor name, and booth number will be displayed for each entry in a special MIP area in the Las Vegas Convention’s Center Grand Concourse between the North and Central halls.
• The World of Concrete Program & Exhibits Guide will include a special section that lists each product, exhibitor’s name, and booth number.
• Each product's short description provided with their entry will be published in all three editions of The World of Concrete Daily News.
• Each exhibitor entering the MIP will receive 50 paper ballots for distribution in their booth plus a PDF of the ballot with which to print their own additional ballots.
• Ballots will be available for pick up in the Daily News Room N218 beginning Monday, January 21, 2019 from 9am to 4pm.

There will be 3 ballot boxes on the show floor at WOC 2019. These are located near the entrance to each hall (lobby of South Hall, lobby to North Hall, and near the WOC Gear store in the Grand Concourse). Since the 2018 WOC closes at 1:00 PM on Friday, January 25th, all paper ballots must be placed in one of these ballot boxes by 1:30 PM on Friday, January 25, 2019. Ballots placed in ballot boxes after that time will not be accepted.

Post-Show Coverage

Award winners will be announced by February 18, 2019. Award-winning products will receive editorial coverage in post-show issues of Concrete Construction and The Concrete Producer; and online at Concrete Construction Online, Masonry Construction Online, and The Concrete Producer Online. Award winners will receive a special certificate and may advertise their product as an MIP winner.

Additional MIP Opportunities to Drive Booth Engagement at WOC

At the time of entry, companies can purchase two additional opportunities to help promote your product at World of Concrete to drive booth traffic and make your booth an attendee destination.

Option 1:  World of Concrete Daily News Ad – Entrants also have the ability to purchase an1/4-tabloid-page ad for their product in the World of Concrete Daily News, distributed to 35,000 WOC attendees. Entry prices remain the same but the ¼-page ad will cost $850 as opposed to the $1500 rate card value! Other ad sizes available.

Option 2:  World of Concrete Pre Show Planner (PSP) Ad – Branded under The Daily News, the Pre Show Planner digital issue reaches 200,000+ contractors and producers, before WOC.  The PSP offers a guide to World of Concrete so attendees can begin the planning process and identify must see exhibits, your ad includes live links back to your web site. The half page Ad has been discounted 50% and other ad sizes are available.

• MIP Entry: $650
• MIP Entry + Ad in Daily News (1/4-tabloid-page)  = $1500
• MIP Entry + Ad in Pre Show Planner (1/2 Page) = $1350 **
• MIP Entry + Ad in Daily News + Ad in Pre Show Planner = $2100

** = Only available until November 1, 2018.

Note: If you select any of these additional MIP opportunities, you will be contacted within 24 hours of entry submission.

For questions about entering the awards program contact Ana Mendez, amendez@hanleywood.com.

For questions regarding advertising contact Greg Cooke, gcooke@hanleywood.com. 

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CONTENT ON https://votemip.secure-platform.com (Actual Sign-Up Page)

Before beginning the registration process, please assure that you have three things available:

1. The complete name of the product you are nominating for an MIP award, as well as a short description of what it is and what it does.
2. A brief explanation of what is innovative about the product and how contractors or producers will benefit from the innovation. Please include more than just its new features. Submit TWO product descriptions: One that is less than 100 words long and a second that can be up to 500 words. The short version will be used in the published product descriptions and the longer version will be used as the web site version.
3. Your credit card information for the entry fee. Prior payment is required. After payment is received, you will receive an invoice and a confirmation email with a link to complete your entry.

We require at least one high-resolution digital image of the product nominated. That one image will be used to create the onsite signage at World of Concrete—we prefer an action shot but remember that the photo quality alone can determine whether your product wins an award so choose your photo carefully. This image will also be used in our editorial coverage, both on-line and in print. The preferred format is JPEG, 300 dpi, 8 inches by 10 inches. You will be provided uploading information in your nomination confirmation email. Your image should be submitted at the same time as the entry. All information must be received by December 1, 2018 to be included in the January 2019 issue of Concrete Construction and in the WOC Daily News.

The cost to enter is $650 per product and the final date for entering is December 1, 2018. This is also the final date for inclusion in the January issue of Concrete Construction and in the WOC Daily News.

Note: Only one entry per category. A company may enter multiple entries but only one in each category.