After a tremendous year two event, PAVE/X has solidified its position as the top tradeshow for paving and pavement maintenance professionals – and we’re not done growing yet – not by a long shot.
For its third year, PAVE/X: The Pavement Experience will be bringing their event to New Orleans February 9-12th 2026 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The best part? PAVE/X will take place before the official Mardi Gras season, making attendance of the event a once in a lifetime experience.
“Not only is PAVE/X the ideal meeting space for paving and pavement maintenance professionals to grow their business through education, live outdoor equipment demonstrations and a full tradeshow floor of innovations from top industry manufacturers, but the 2026 event will feature a renowned opening keynote speech and an after-party on the Mardi Gras parade route,” Amy Schwandt, co-founder of PAVE/X said. “In year three, we are taking this experience to a whole new level to keep raising the bar for our attendees.”
Official Schedule of Events*:
Monday 2/9:
Business Bootcamp: 12:00-3:00 PM
Roundtable Discussions: 3:00-5:00
Kickoff Party: 6:00-9:00 PM
Tuesday 2/10:
Education: 9:00-2:00
Opening Keynote: 2:00-3:00
Tradeshow: 3:00-7:00
Networking Reception: 5:00-7:00
Pavement Awards: 6:00-7:00
Wednesday 2/11:
Education: 9:00-12:00
Tradeshow: 9:00 – 2:00
Roller Rodeo/Striping Competition
Thursday 2/12:
Education: 9:00-12:00
Tradeshow: 9:00 – 12:00
Roller Rodeo/Striping Competition
Afterparty: 5:00 – 9:00 PM
*Schedule subject to change
“You can see from the 2026 schedule of events that we’ve been listening to attendees and exhibitors and trying to really maximize everyone’s time while they are with us at PAVE/X,” Jessica Lombardo, PAVE/X co-founder said. “We are moving the industry-favorite roundtable discussions to Monday to kickoff the event and get conversations started, expanding tradeshow floor hours, and shifting the outdoor equipment demonstrations by a day. All of these changes are a direct result of what we’ve heard will help streamline the event so everyone can get the most from their trip.”
Attendees can also expect the top industry education they have come to rely on from this event, but with an even more dialed in approach to the offerings. Educational hours will start later in the day and sessions will be revamped to accommodate professionals from every skill set and experience level.
“We read session evaluations, listened to attendees and met with our education advisory council and are continuing to fill in those course gaps where we were light on content,” Lombardo said. “The biggest goal we have with PAVE/X is to ensure we’re providing valuable and necessary education so that companies can bring their entire crews to the show and find multiple courses that they will benefit from.”
Ready to Test Your Skills?
Another change and highlight of the 2026 event will again be the live outdoor equipment demonstrations. In year one, the show provided a grand stand for attendees to watch equipment in action. We took it a step further in year two and let attendees operate equipment with the manufacturer product experts to teach them how to best use their innovations. Now in year three, attendees will get to test out their skills and take part in live competitions during the outdoor equipment demonstration time.
“We are incredibly excited to bring a competition-based event to the outdoor equipment demonstration portion of the show in New Orleans,” Schwandt said. “Not only will these demos provide valuable “seat time” for operators to get to try out equipment, but they will also be scored and timed so we will be able to evaluate operators and showcase the top participants on a leaderboard. The Roller Rodeo will be a great way for attendees to see how efficient they can be on compaction equipment while still focusing on their quality and skill. We got to see this competition in action with C.W. Matthews Contracting and look forward to working with them to bring this event to life for PAVE/X attendees.”
There will also be a timed striping competition for contractors to test their skills and see how fast and precise they are during equipment operation compared to their peers. The PAVE/X team is looking to provide other competitions as well, space and time permitting.
“The best part about what we’re doing with PAVE/X is how we will continue to work every year to evolve the event with what the attendees are asking for,” Lombardo said. “Our team listens to feedback and works to ensure we’re bringing the very best experience to everyone involved. We truly care about this industry and want to continue to ensure we’re providing something valuable and impactful for everyone who invests their time and resources to come. We can’t wait to see you all in New Orleans!”
Hotel room block is open now at https://www.pavexshow.com/book-your-hotel/
View the original article and our Inspiration here
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