Do you remember the first time you experienced ConExpo-Con/Agg? You surely learned at least one hard lesson at that time.
“Make sure you have some good shoes,” says Dana Wuesthoff, vice president of exhibitions at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), which manages the massive trade show. “You need to have some good shoes that have been worn in and broken in. You will be walking a lot.”
That’s fantastic advice for those attending ConExpo-Con/Agg for the first time this year in Las Vegas. In addition to that word of caution, Wuesthoff offered an exclusive preview of the March 10-14 trade show for those who attended this year’s Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference.
For 2020, ConExpo-Con/Agg attendees can expect to find roughly 2,800 exhibitors spanning more than 2.6 million sq. ft. of exhibit space. AEM expects the show to take in about 130,000 visitors.
Probably the biggest change from ConExpo-Con/Agg 2017 to ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020 is the addition of the Festival Grounds. This year, the show campus extends to a brand-new area that will require transportation from the Las Vegas Convention Center, a hotel or elsewhere.
The exhibits aren’t the only ConExpo-Con/Agg attraction at the Las Vegas Convention Center and in the surrounding areas. Show visitors have plenty of education options they can choose from, and the Tech Experience that launched in 2017 is back for a second go-around.
“We really do have a stellar lineup of education – 150 sessions – and they focus on different industry issues, trends, management [and] applied technology,” Wuesthoff says. “We are fortunate to have some excellent education partners.”
The Tech Experience is yet another offering ConExpo-Con/Agg visitors can take in. It will have two locations this year – one in Silver Lot 3, with the other at the Festival Grounds.
According to Wuesthoff, the Tech Experience is designed to offer visitors a few different takeaways.
“One is to inspire the younger attendees of the show,” she says. “Another one is growing your business today, presenting new products and emerging technologies for the construction industry, and telling people the benefit of why you should start using this. The other is that it’s a future vision showcase, presenting a preview of emerging technologies, tools and solutions of tomorrow – things that are going to have a dramatic impact on our industry in the next five to 10 years.”
ConExpo Connect
Yet another newer offering from ConExpo-Con/Agg is ConExpo Connect, which brings the industry together online. ConExpo Connect was launched in late 2018.
“This is a reflection of how people are getting information now,” Wuesthoff says. “We know equipment buyers are looking for multiple ways to stay informed about products and learn about what’s going on in the industry – attending trade shows, reading industry publications. Part of that is doing research online.”
ConExpo Connect added a new dimension to the construction industry by providing contractors access to equipment experts. The free resource is available 365 days a year.
“Joining the site, contractors can ask questions, talk to industry experts, learn from their peers and have information at their fingertips,” Wuesthoff says. “Then, that community can have face-to-face engagement once every three years (at ConExpo-Con/Agg).”
Source: www.pitandquarry.com
