Eyeing new technologies, products and equipment, along with networking and education opportunities, heavy building materials and construction industry segments converged March 10-13 on the Las Vegas Convention Center and nearby Festival Grounds for ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020 and the co-located International Fluid Power Exposition.
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| A show ring adjacent to the prominent Silver Lot (left) served as a “selfie station” with which attendees could frame their experience and upload to social media channels. LafargeHolcim and other concrete materials operators joined plant equipment exhibitors in the South Hall and Bronze Lot (top right). Future ConExpo-Con/Agg shows will be staged in a radically altered Las Vegas Convention Center whose nucleus will shift from the current main lobby connecting the North and Central Halls to the West Hall, set for January 2021 opening. |
The Tuesday-Friday events saw registrations exceed 130,000. Final attendance figures will reflect international and domestic attendee cancellations, plus a decision by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers to wrap up one day earlier than the scheduled Saturday close, as businesses and individuals took stock of White House responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and unfolding travel restrictions. Key metrics, nevertheless, underscore ConExpo-Con/Agg and IFPE 2020 quality compared to their 2017 editions:
- Overall contractor and producer attendance grew by 14 percent;
- U.S. buyer participation increased 8 percent, while total buyer attendance improved nearly 5 percent; and,
- Attendees purchased a record 75,622 education session tickets, up 46 percent.
“Giant machines, incredible exhibits, fantastic education and huge expectations[:] Organizers of ConExpo-Con/Agg have a legacy of building and innovating on previous shows, and the 2020 gathering extends that record of success,” says Mary Erholtz, vice president of Marketing at Minnesota-based conveyor manufacturer Superior Industries. “This has been one of the best editions of ConExpo-Con/Agg ever. Exhibitors across the show, from the Festival Grounds to North Hall to Bronze Lot to South Hall, expressed enthusiasm for the tremendous engagement they received from contractors and producers looking to purchase equipment.”
“We had more people the first day than all of the 2017 show. Tuesday for us was record breaking in terms of leads and attendance at our booth,” adds Doosan Bobcat President Mike Ballweber, whose company gauges show success on opening day traffic.
“The crowd was much better than expected under the circumstances and most importantly, the right buyers were on the show floor,” notes HydraForce Global Marketing Manager and IFPE Chair David Price.
Mindful of growing Covid-19 virus concerns, show management worked with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Southern Nevada Health District to make sure attendees, exhibitors and vendors were provided with heightened cleaning services and hand sanitizers to help reduce the spread of germs and foster healthy exhibit and education session participation.
ConExpo-Con/Agg 2023 will run March 14-18 in a significantly expanded and upgraded Las Vegas Convention Center. The venue will enter a new era in 2021 with the opening of the West Hall, followed by phased work on the existing South, Central and North Halls.
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After a World of Concrete 2020 preview in early February, Portland Cement Association capped a “Shaped by Concrete” educational campaign launch at ConExpo-Con/Agg. Leading show-geared assets was a postcard series spotlighting Las Vegas concrete landmarks, topped by the historic Hoover Dam and modern Stratosphere tower. The Las Vegas Convention Center and construction materials-minded masses enabled PCA to test campaign strategies through digital channels, with targeted messages conveyed through personal devices as attendees navigated zoned indoor and outdoor exhibits. Shaped by Concrete aims to increase awareness of sustainability, resiliency and durability. It will feature those themes and explore how cast-in-place or precast concrete, concrete masonry and other cement-based products make the world better.