ReMA Makes New Connections at the World Demolition Summit

From Tuesday, November 4 to Wednesday, November 5 Lacey Capps, ReMA’s Director of Chapter Relations, and Emily Vitacolonna, ReMA’s Director of Membership, attended the World Demolition Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. The event is organized by Demolition & Recycling International, in cooperation with the European Demolition Association and the U.S. National Demolition Association.

According to its website, the Summit has grown since its inaugural event in 2009 and is firmly established as one of the major annual events for the demolition industry. The high-level technical conference that features presentations covering some of the most challenging demolition projects carried out around the world in recent months.

Capps and Vitacolonna participated as a partnering exhibitor and had great conversations about ReMA’s work and its upcoming convention, connected with several members in attendance, and left with several prospects to contact.

“It was our first time attending the summit, so our primary focus was to get familiar with the event,” Capps said. “This is a segment of our demographic that we’re hoping to engage with more and expand in the future.”

They also had the pleasure of co-presenting the Recycling and Environmental Award at the Summit’s Gala to Despe, a demolition firm based in Italy. This year’s summit received 100 entries from four continents with an international panel of expert judges selecting the top contenders across 11 categories.

According to Vitacolonna, it was an important event for ReMA to attend to reach new people who operate in a sector with a lot of crossover potential to the recycled materials industry.

“We were able to get our name out there,” she said. “Many of the people we talked to shared how they wanted to figure out what to do with the rubble and supplies that come out of a demolition project. Through our conversations, we were able to show them how our members could provide an important service to them.”

Though the demolition segment of the industry isn’t currently large part of ReMA’s membership, it is an area that ReMA members do intersect with and have an interest in.

“While attending the event, we spoke with our contact Peter Collinson, Brand Manager & Sales of the World Demolition Summit, about the connections between our two industries and how we’re both part of the circular economy,” Vitacolonna said.

Capps added that the event was a great opportunity to introduce ReMA and its offerings to the demolition industry and share how the association can help bridge the gap between the demolition industry and the recycled materials industry.

“I think attending the event and making these connections will be the start of a growing partnership between our industries,” she said.