Design/build, lean construction and building information modeling are more widely practiced in the industry these days. To help electrical contractors stay in front of this curve, the NECA Show will feature exhibitors and educational programs that focus on these processes. 


The NECA Show will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago from Sept. 28–30, 2014, and will include courses, two preconvention workshops—“Exploring BIM” and “Exploring Lean Construction.” These two courses will be conducted on Saturday, Sept. 27 (before the trade show opens on Sunday). 


A course will also be offered on Monday, Sept. 29. Joel Smith, from Greenlee Textron, will teach the one-hour session, “Prefabrication and Lean Construction,” at 2 p.m. The course will provide an introduction, emphasizing how prefabrication and lean construction can help decrease waste on the job site. It will also provide an overview of Greenlee’s innovations in these categories. All technical workshops are free, but a fee is charged to attend the preconvention sessions. These courses are open to nonmembers.


Exhibitors will also be on hand to demonstrate products and services that support integrated project delivery. According to David Burczyk, segment manager, field solutions, Trimble, the show is a great place to meet current and future users of the company’s products. He describes the products he will be presenting as “fairly new” and even “cutting-edge.” In that sense, the show provides his company an opportunity to introduce new products to the industry, and “to educate and do some product testing.” At the show, Burczyk will be demonstrating Trimble’s 3-D laser scanners and robotic stations.