BUFFALO GROVE, Ill., Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Construction Writers
Association's Midyear Meeting, held October 19 in Chicago, saw record
attendance and featured a wide range of topics in a morning session. A tour
in the afternoon offered CWA attendees the opportunity to see the massive
construction project at O'Hare Airport. The evening's activity was an
Awards Dinner with presentation of CWA's Marketing Communications Awards,
Website Awards, and the new Electronic Communications Awards.
The morning session was emceed by conference co-chairs Jeff White,
principal at Two Rivers Marketing, and Tina Grady Barbaccia, senior editor
with Aggregates Manager magazine.
Tudor Hampton, associate editor in Chicago with Engineering
News-Record, opened with a review of "Big, Big Projects" around the
country. Among the highlighted projects were the $6-billion expansion of
Chicago's O'Hare Airport; the $5.3-billion I-355 tollway in Illinois; and
the $6.2-billion Bay Bridge project connecting Oakland to San Francisco.
Other notable projects were the Hoover Dam bypass, Chicago's Aqua Building,
and the Trump International Hotel & Tower, also in Chicago.
Hampton also discussed trends such as new lifting technologies designed
specifically for a project, automated site technologies, and greater fuel
efficiency in construction equipment. He cited labor shortages, especially
on major projects such as the Freedom Tower and Lower Manhattan
Redevelopment Project in New York and the City Center Project in Las Vegas,
as a major challenge for contractors in the next few years.
Pete Stukas, senior project manager with V3 Companies of IL, and Rocco
Zucchero, deputy chief of engineering with the Illinois Tollway Authority,
described the challenges and successes of building Illinois' I-355 during
their presentation, "Environmental Concerns on Construction of I-355
Extension." This project is a 12.5-mile, three-lane extension that is part
of the tollway's $5.3-billion Congestion-Relief Program to reduce travel
times. Stukas and Zucchero explained that value engineering was needed to
save money on the project, which also involves extensive coordination with
communities and utility service providers along the route.
The project itself encompasses wetlands, 13 stream crossings, three
forest preserve districts, a nature preserve, threatened and endangered
species, and historic sites. The Tollway Authority and the construction
partners have been involved in wetlands mitigation and monitoring
throughout the project, and they will continue these monitoring efforts for
five years after construction is completed. The project team has brought in
scientists who have performed extensive studies and species surveys.
Additional environmental plans have involved habitat creation and
conservation and tree mitigation. All of this has been done to ensure that
this area of the Des Plaines River Valley is minimally affected by
construction activity and the completed project.
Jason Meyers, director of content development with Prism Business
Media's Telephony magazine, Chicago, defined and described "Digital Media."
He pointed out that digital editions of print media are not a replacement
for online content. Instead, digital editions allow a publisher to
electronically distribute a publication without adding to print and
distribution costs. Meyers explained the many benefits of digital editions.
For example, they can be downloaded and links provided to the editor,
advertiser and related articles. Digital publications can be easily
customized for their designated audiences. With the proper software and
resources, digital media can also provide valuable feedback for a publisher
such as tracking what readers view, how long they spend on an article, and
which advertisers they visit.
Meyers pointed out, however, that there are several factors to take
into consideration before employing digital media. Your existing e-mail
database and relationship with readers, how and what your audience reads,
and the number of your print readers who would convert to a digital edition
are just a few of the factors to be considered before implementing a
digital format.
Melanie Kirin, director of marketing with Proximity Marketing,
Brunswick, OH, offered important suggestions for "Designing E-Newsletters."
Kirin pointed out several factors that are often taken for granted. For
example, just because an e-mail is sent, doesn't mean it's received. She
cited mail certification services and detailed management of an
e-newsletter's distribution list as good tools for ensuring your e-mail is
getting to your readers.
Another e-mail myth dispelled by Kirin is that just because an e-mail
is received, doesn't mean it is read. She pointed out several things that
can be done to ensure that it is. Make sure you're offering the content
your audience wants; establish realistic goals that demonstrate an actual
return on investment; and take steps to ensure your message is read -- such
as proper subject and "from" lines, pass-along and link tracking, and
interactivity in the e-mail's content
Kirin concluded by pointing out that producing e-newsletters -- just
like digital media -- is not free and requires dedicated human and monetary
resources to make them successful.
The Construction Writers Association, founded in 1958, is a non-profit,
non-partisan, international organization for professional journalists,
photographers, marketers and publicists serving the information needs of
the construction industry. In addition to its journalism, photography,
marketing communications and website and electronic communications awards
programs, CWA provides educational and networking opportunities for its
members. For more information, visit the Construction Writers Association
website at http://www.constructionwriters.org .
SOURCE Construction Writers Association
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Related links:
http://www.constructionwriters.org
CONTACT:
For additional information, contact: Sheila
Wertz, Executive Director of Construction Writers Association,
Phone: +1-847-398-7756, Fax: +1-847-590-5241, Email:
office@constructionwriters.org
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