What manufacturers expect from ConExpo-Con/Agg

By Kevin Yanik| February 22, 2023

The last ‘normal’ ConExpo-Con/Agg took place in 2017 and drew a reported 128,000 attendees. Photo: ConExpo-Con/Agg

Some memories fade. Some stick with people for the rest of their lives.

Everyone who experienced the last ConExpo-Con/Agg in March 2020 vividly remembers something about the scheduled five-day trade show in Las Vegas. With the COVID pandemic breaking out across the U.S., the weight of each passing day felt heavier for exhibitors and attendees alike.

The final day of that ConExpo-Con/Agg was dramatically canceled, and those at the show scrambled to secure transportation home. The whole week was one ConExpo-Con/Agg goers won’t soon forget.

“The past few years seemed to turn everything on its head,” says Troy Geisler, vice president of marketing and sales at Talbert Manufacturing, whose company regularly utilizes ConExpo-Con/Agg to connect with dealers, customers and others in the industry.

The show’s value

The prospects for ConExpo-Con/Agg this time around are rosier than they were at this time in 2020. Equipment manufacturers, for one, are excited about exhibiting at a ConExpo-Con/Agg where all the expected attendees are on-site.

“Since the last ConExpo was at the very start of the pandemic, we feel this year’s show will be almost a brand-new experience,” says Kristen Randall, marketing manager at Haver & Boecker Niagara. “Many manufacturers have reevaluated the way they look at shows, and some have even pulled out of shows like ConExpo.”

Still, Randall argues that trade shows continue to offer tremendous value to those participating.

“We still feel the best way to understand your customer and the challenges they face is through in-person interaction, and we believe that will be more important than ever in 2023,” says Randall, whose company will exhibit in the Silver Lot outside the Las Vegas Convention Center. “Producers have been pent-up for too long, and they are looking for opportunities to connect, network, share ideas, explore new technology and reenergize – and we are excited to be a part of that.”

Geisler, whose company will exhibit in the Diamond Lot at ConExpo-Con/Agg, agrees the 2023 show has plenty to offer.

“The 2020 show had promises of success,” he says. “However, many attendees, including exhibitors, elected to cancel their travel plans due to the unknowns with COVID. I think for many people, the past three years have highlighted the importance and value of in-person interactions and gatherings – and I think that value will show up in the attendance and excitement at [ConExpo-Con/Agg] 2023.”

Ian Edwards, senior director for global sales at Major, also expects ConExpo-Con/Agg 2023 to be a success for everyone involved.

“Business is constantly changing and, since shows are the time and place we have to connect with customers and hear directly from them, we are confident ConExpo will deliver meaningful insight,” says Edwards, whose company will exhibit in Central Hall.

“With the challenges in the industry the past couple of years – in terms of both product availability and quality degradation due to some manufacturers choosing to sacrifice quality to cut costs – we know there will be a lot of concerns to address.”

That Bauma 2022 drew nearly half a million attendees in Germany last October is one good sign of things to come, Randall adds.

“Bauma was an incredible success in terms of attendance and show experience, so we expect that ConExpo will be another great opportunity to interact with customers and hear about any new or existing challenges and opportunities they see in 2023,” she says.