North America’s leading trade show for asphalt paving and maintenance professionals, World of Asphalt, is swiftly approaching. Taking place in St. Louis, Missouri, from March 25-27, the 2025 show is slated to feature the best education and the latest equipment, products, and services in the industry
AEM, along with the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) is looking forward to hosting all asphalt industry professionals for three days of valuable networking, educational opportunities, and industry exploration.
AEM recently sat down with Eric Baker, vice president and general manager of Astec Digital, Charles Alexander, senior marketing specialist, and Nicole Juneja, director of marketing and communications, to discuss why this year’s show is full of value, and highly anticipated by exhibitors and attendees alike.
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AEM: Why is it important for Astec to have a presence at World of Asphalt?
Baker: As far as matching up Astec and World of Asphalt, we are a perfect pair. The show hosts a more focused and knowledgeable audience – when compared to some shows that have a wider audience, World of Asphalt allows us to home in on our core customers and pay homage to our lineage.
Alexander: I think it’s an important opportunity for us to show off our products, as well as showcase innovation and technology. It’s also a great opportunity to connect with our customers while they’re all gathered in one convenient location.
AEM: What value does World of Asphalt provide to attendees and exhibitors?
Alexander: Again, the show is an extremely convenient way to connect with our core customer base while they’re gathered in one place, which is very valuable to us.
Baker: For attendees, the educational component is unparalleled. We participate heavily in the education portion of the show, and attendees can join those classes to learn about what’s new in the industry, industry best practices, and any other related topics in between. The show started out with education at its core, and it’s still a huge draw for attendees.
Juneja: In addition to education, I think that Women of Asphalt Day is incredibly valuable. Women who will be attending from Astec are looking forward to participating in the networking and education. I feel it’s important to connect with other women in our industry and learn from them. From a leadership perspective, from an industry perspective, and from an equipment perspective, I think it will bring a lot of value back to us, and to other participants.
AEM: What are you most excited to showcase at World of Asphalt?
Baker: Attendees want to hear about new innovations in the asphalt world – things like automation and digital improvements to equipment. We’ve been particularly excited about our SmartEdge system, which automates screed extension adjustments, saving time and labor and making our operators lives easier in the process. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our Signal Connectivity Suite as well, our universal platform that connects all of our machinery. It gives visibility into operating data on different pieces of equipment and how they’re working together. Customers are then able to assess how they can operate better and make better use of their equipment.
Juneja: I can’t say too much, but we’re excited to showcase a new product – World of Asphalt is a great opportunity to reveal new equipment to our customers.
AEM: Astec promotes World of Asphalt heavily on social media. How does exhibitor-led promotion benefit companies leading up to the show?
Alexander: We do a lot of promotion through social media and email marketing – that’s the primary way we connect with our customers before the show. Being able to connect with our customers more personally before the show and invite them to come see our new products is of value to us, and we can tempt potential attendees to visit the show with promo codes in the exhibitor marketing kit, and through our social media channels.
Baker: The strategy for World of Asphalt versus a larger show like CONEXPO-CON/AGG is a little different. At World of Asphalt, attendees aren’t likely to miss your booth, whereas at CONEXPO-CON/AGG exhibitors have to do a lot more to draw attendees to them. When we are posting on social media or reaching out to attendees, we are a lot more focused on the value of stopping at our booth, emphasizing new products and features that we know they’ll want to see.
AEM: What is exciting about the show being set in St. Louis this year?
Alexander: St. Louis is a hub of activity – the city is a crossroads where people from all regions can meet to talk about the asphalt industry. I like that the show travels; our team gets to see new places and give more regional attendees an opportunity to visit the show. It opens up doors to some new customers that may not have attended a previous show due to proximity.
Baker: St. Louis is a cool city, there are a lot of hidden gems scattered around. There are great jazz clubs, really great barbeque, and the downtown area has lots to offer.
About World of Asphalt
Held every year except during CONEXPO-CON/AGG years, World of Asphalt is the leading trade show and conference focused on the asphalt and paving industries. The show features the best education, and latest equipment, products, services, and technologies for the asphalt and paving industries. The next World of Asphalt, co-located with the AGG1 Academy & Expo, will be held March 25-27, in St. Louis. For more information on World of Asphalt, visit www.worldofasphalt.com.
