When you first visit the new website of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry, www.awci.org, you are offered several categories to choose from to find information. Let’s have a look.
Annual Events
Clicking on the fourth tab near the top of AWCI’s new website, Annual Events, will take you to the details for AWCI’s two largest meetings: the convention and expo held each spring and the conference held each autumn.
Information about AWCI’s Convention, which will be April 15–19 in New Orleans, can also be found easily by using the Quick Links at the top of the home page (or any page on the AWCI site). Click on the Quick Links tab and the drop-down menu shows the convention first on the list. Click there for myriad information on AWCI’s biggest event. Here you can learn about the education sessions, special events and committee meetings. You can register for the convention, download the brochure, plan your visit to the host city or find out about the fun fundraisers.
In a hurry to explore only the educational opportunities? From the home page, click on the first block, “Professional Education.” There you will find that the fourth selection available is “Convention Seminars,” but this is also where all of AWCI’s educational offerings, from the Doing It Right programs and AWCI’s fall conference, to the Project Manager Development Series and Academy programs, are housed.
Learning Programs
The second tab in the row is Learning Programs, and it’s exactly what you would expect it to be—except there’s more.
As you may expect, AWCI’s primary education programs—those provided by the convention, the fall executives’ conference, the Doing It Right program and Academy—are fully covered, but this section of the site also includes access to AWCI’s Project Manager Development Series and a calendar of events.
The Learning Programs section also allows exclusive member access to the new AWCI Online Learning Center. AWCI members have been sent unique user names and passwords to access the Members Only portion of AWCI’s website. The password-protected learning center provides links to major market segment association leaders: the EIFS Industry Members Association, the Gypsum Association and the Steel Framing Industry Association. More will soon be added as AWCI strives to provide the wall and ceiling industry with an exceptional learning experience.
E-Media & Publications
The third tab on the page houses your favorite industry magazine—the current issue as well as archives, the digital editions of AWCI’s membership directory and buyers’ guide, the AWCI Member Products Catalog and more.
Once you are in the E-Media & Publications section, you will notice a new level of tabs to help you quickly navigate to what you want to read. From the latest news to the newest products, everyone from company owner to field personnel should have an easy time exploring this section of the site.
Those who keep a close eye on the site will notice that AWCI often releases news and articles from AWCI’s Construction Dimensions in advance of the print-publication date. AWCI President John Hinson’s comments are often the first to be released.
Also in this section are videos, special Web-only content, and information from and for advertisers and sponsors.
AWCI
The first selection is the AWCI tab. It is in this section where you can learn more about your trade association’s beginnings in 1918 as well as find out about today’s members. Information about AWCI’s awards program, membership benefits, industry news and the calendar are also found in this section. If you need to order a publication from AWCI’s Bookstore, this is the place.
The AWCI tab is also home to the exclusive members-only part of the website. AWCI members have been assigned user names and passwords that grant them access to AWCI’s newsletter archives, job leads, awards applications and webinars. This section is another access portal to the AWCI Online Learning Center mentioned above. Here is also where members can download one or all of the white papers produced by the Foundation of the Wall and Ceiling Industry.
The Advanced Search in this section can help visitors to AWCI’s site find a contractor, supplier or manufacturer. The names of certified EIFS Inspectors, Mechanics and Industry Professionals are also here, along with the EIFSmart Contractors. Listings for union-certified EIFS plasterers are in this section, as are industry consultants.
Among other options mentioned earlier, this is also another way to access the current or past issues of AWCI’s Construction Dimensions.
Foundation
The Foundation section of AWCI’s website helps AWCI’s educational arm achieve its mission to be an active, unbiased source of information and education to support the wall and ceiling industry.
This is where you can learn more about the Foundation’s efforts and the AWCI CARES program. The Foundation Research Series is available here as well, along with background on the John H. Hampshire Memorial Library and information on the Foundation’s board of directors.
Be sure to click to the AWCI CARES section for downloads of applications, a short video that describes the AWCI CARES and all the answers to your questions about this program, which helps AWCI members in need.
Technical Information
As you would expect, the technical section houses quick access to AWCI’s Tech Update newsletter, the Wachuwannano column from AWCI’s Construction Dimensions and a variety of links to other industry resources.
A great resource is the Wall System Design website, which is offered as the first option on the list of technical information. The site, www.wallsystemdesign.org, provides a single source for credible information about integrated wall and ceiling solutions, primarily those installed by AWCI contractor members who account for 50 percent of current construction volume in the United States.
Member consultants and EIFS inspectors can also be found in this section.
That’s a lot to learn and know, but AWCI has a lot to offer. Keep this article handy as you navigate. Your comments on the new look of AWCI’s website as well as its content are always welcome. Thanks for browsing!
