"We did what we thought was impossible: bring live outdoor demonstrations to the event," Amy Schwandt says of PAVE/X.

The objectives of the 2025 iteration of PAVE/X: The Pavement Experience in Chattanooga, Tenn.—live equipment demonstrations, in-depth education and myriad connection opportunities—were no mean feat, but the team at IRONMARKETS was up to the challenge. Schwandt, chief revenue officer, calls IRONMARKETS an innovative B2B media company.

"We have really transformed from print advertising and legacy digital advertising to adding events, platforms, specialized niche conferences in our respective verticals and a lot of lead generation, educational offerings and accreditations and custom marketing services," she says.

A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING

When selecting a host city for PAVE/X 2025, it was important to find a location that was walkable from a convention center, which can be a huge challenge, according to Jessica Lombardo, director of content and programming for IRONMARKETS.

"Not only did we have to find the dates we needed early in Q1, the pattern we wanted and the hotel availability, but also a large parking lot that can host huge construction equipment—think asphalt rollers, pavers, milling machines," she says. "It had to have the staging area, but also room for the equipment to operate back and forth, and we needed the ability to shut it down and secure the area overnight."

The massive logistical undertaking also involved finding bleachers, portable toilets, food carts and beer distributors—"all the extra things that help keep people in that area to watch the live demonstrations, since our exhibitors bring in double the amount of equipment to be able to have these expositions," Lombardo says. "We wanted to make sure that we kept people out there as long as possible to run that equipment, experience it, talk to the manufacturers and really make it worthwhile for all involved."

Schwandt says safety is also a key concern for an outdoor live equipment demonstration of this magnitude.

"We had safety briefings that the contractors had to go through before they entered the space, and there were safety vests and glasses," she says. "There were liabilities that we had to take on with the registration process to ensure the safety of not only those that were demonstrating the equipment, but those standing by, getting close and trying to understand the controls and the technology."

Of course, with such large equipment in use and in some cases filling cracks in pavement for demonstration purposes, the PAVE/X team assured the city that the parking lot would be in as good or better condition following the event as it was beforehand. And in the case of PAVE/X 2025, the timing also led to the need for inclement weather preparation.

"Our event was in January, and a week before that, it was 20 degrees and snowing in Chattanooga," Schwandt says. "The week of our event it was 60 degrees and sunny, but we had to be prepared with tents and umbrellas, and we also had to get additional insurance for our exhibitors in case of extreme inclement weather, in which case they couldn’t operate. Fortunately, that didn’t happen."

IN-PERSON ALL THE WAY

The inaugural PAVE/X took place in San Antonio in 2024 because there was demand for an immersive experience for those working in the pavement and pavement maintenance space, Lombardo says, noting that the event was popular right out of the gate and exponentially more so in year two, jumping from 1,600 attendees to 2,600 attendees and offering 90 hours of education sessions ranging from the basics (best practices for running a paving operation, how to stripe a parking lot) to business management courses (job costing, succession planning).

"There are so many reasons for our attendees to gather in person," she says. "They can’t get the education they need to do their jobs anywhere else. They network and meet each other at this event and then they will call each other year-round and ask questions about what they’re doing in their business. If they have a contract issue that they haven’t seen before or a job site type that they haven’t completed before, they’ll call up somebody that they met at this event and ask them questions about how they can do their job better. And hopping on the equipment in our demonstrations, kicking the tires as we like to say, you can only do that at an in-person event."

The trade show itself offers a critical opportunity to visit all five prominent national paving manufacturers and suppliers to learn about the differences in their offerings.

"It’s imperative for attendees to be able to see the equipment and how it works and how their crew would use it, and that’s what they get on the trade show floor as well," Schwandt says.

AN AT-HOME FEELING

Charm and drivability were two of Chattanooga’s obvious strengths early in the site-selection process, but it was soon apparent to Schwandt and Lombardo that there were plenty of reasons to select the city as host destination.

"We had the entire Chattanooga Convention Center, which fit with our growth needs and size," Schwandt says. "There were hotels, as well as great restaurants and after-party locations, that were all walkable. And the demonstration part is a big key for us, a differentiator. We were able to work with the stadium right down the street to utilize the entire parking lot right next to the Naked River Brewery. The price points were right for us but, more importantly, for our attendees and exhibitors."

Lombardo says it was also important to select a location that would allow for outdoor demonstrations in the early part of the year because attendees are particularly busy working in the summer.

"Everything in Chattanooga is very close knit, which our attendees and exhibitors love," she says. "They love the networking and being able to be together and see each other on the street and in the hotel, in a great lobby bar. Everything about Chattanooga was really a great kind of at-home feeling for our year two event. Our whole community really took it over and embraced Chattanooga; it was definitely a great draw and a fan favorite."