Construction Writers Association Held Annual Meeting In Washington, DC

April, 2008

Buffalo Grove, IL – The Construction Writers Association will celebrate its 50th anniversary during its Annual Meeting, April 30-May 2, 2008, in Alexandria, VA. Scheduled events include a welcoming reception, education session on crisis communications, construction tour, awards dinner, and annual meeting featuring construction-related topics.

Crisis communications will be the focus of CWA’s “fundamentals of construction writing” education session on Thursday morning, May 1. Bill Wilson of Roads & Bridges and Tom Sawyer of Engineering News-Record will describe media’s needs in covering a crisis. Professor Darrell Hayes of American University will discuss planning for crisis communications. Joyce Watson of contractor Oldcastle Materials will cover the contractor’s viewpoint, and Jeff Solsby of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association will present the association point of view. Proceeds from registrations for this educational session will be contributed to CWA’s scholarship fund.

On Friday morning, May 2, Jim Haughey, chief economist of Reed Construction Data, will provide a session forecasting the construction economy, and Chris Singerling, director of political affairs for Associated Builders & Contractors, will discuss the impact of the 2008 election on the construction industry. Elizabeth Gharib of Green Living LLC and other panelists yet to be named will discuss green building issues.

2008-9 officers and directors will be elected at brief business meeting on Friday morning, and long-time members will be asked to reminisce about the association’s 50-year history. The meeting will end with a networking box lunch; those who must leave early are encouraged to grab a box and take it with them.

The Society for Marketing Professional Services, located a few blocks from CWA’s hotel, will host the opening reception on Wednesday evening. The reception will follow the CWA Board of Directors meeting, at which observers are welcome.

A unique feature of CWA meeting, the construction tour, will be to the new Gaylord Resort and Convention Center at the National Harbor on the Maryland side of the Potomac. The tour will take place on Thursday afternoon, and we anticipate using a water taxi to go from Alexandria to the tour site.

CWA Journalism and Photography Awards will be presented Thursday evening. In addition, CWA’s highest honor, the Silver Hard Hat, will be awarded for service to the industry and for service to the association. In honor of the association’s 50th anniversary, members of the new CWA Hall of Fame will be announced as well. In addition, CWA’s first scholarship winner will be introduced.

The meeting will be at the Hotel Monaco, 480 King Street, Alexandria, VA. CWA’s room rate is $199 for rooms within the block that are booked by the hotel’s cutoff date, Monday, April 7. Rooms may be reserved by calling 703-842-2770 or Kimpton’s central reservations number, 800-368-5047.

Registration fee for the Thursday morning education session, proceeds going to the CWA scholarship fund, are $125 for members and $150 for nonmembers. The annual meeting registration fee, which includes the awards dinner and the Friday morning session, are $125 for members and $150 for nonmembers. To attend both events, members pay $240 and nonmembers pay $290. Nonmembers are encouraged to join CWA and attend at member rates. All are encouraged to register by April 16 to avoid the late fee.

The Construction Writers Association is a non-profit, non-partisan international organization for journalists, public relations and marketing communications professionals, and photographers. The organization celebrates its 50th anniversary during 2008. CWA provides opportunities for networking, education, recognition, and fellowship, and strives to continually raise the level of construction writing.

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