What producers will find at ConExpo-Con/Agg

Aggregate producers attending ConExpo-Con/Agg will find plenty of relevant exhibits in the outdoor Silver Lot. Photo: ConExpo-Con/Agg

The 2023 trade show season is in full swing, and the granddaddy of them all is almost here.

That show, of course, is ConExpo-Con/Agg.

Returning March 14-18 to areas in and around the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), ConExpo-Con/Agg promises to deliver new equipment and technology for aggregate producers to explore. Learning opportunities will be aplenty, too, with more than 175 education sessions available to ConExpo-Con/Agg goers.

ConExpo-Con/Agg also presents an opportunity for industry stakeholders to catch up with their peers. Based on how COVID affected the last ConExpo-Con/Agg, exhibitors and attendees alike are bound to catch up with people they haven’t seen in years.

“Attendance at shows has been booming post-COVID, so we anticipate a packed house,” says Ken Albaugh, director of sales, rental and equipment at Xylem. “I expect attendees will be eager to network, learn and ‘touch and feel’ the many different solutions and technologies that will be showcased.”

For producers, ConExpo-Con/Agg presents a platform to glean ideas that can transform a business for years to come.

“2023 will be a year where we reshape the industry and help businesses and equipment owners do better in all facets of their work,” says Terry Dolan, vice president of North America at Case Construction Equipment. “ConExpo is just the start.”

Lay of the land

Wuesthoff

Dana Wuesthoff, vice president of exhibitions and event services at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) who serves as ConExpo-Con/Agg show director, says attendees can expect to find more than 2.7 million sq. ft. of displays and demonstrations from more than 1,800 exhibitors.

“For 2023, we’re expecting both attendees and exhibitions to break records,” Wuesthoff says. “Both because the Las Vegas Convention Center has grown, making more exhibits possible, but also because the construction and aggregates industries are hands-on, in-person industries.”

AEM also expects an increased international presence at the show. Among the largest groups of international registrants late last year were Canada, Australia, the UK, Mexico and New Zealand.
ConExpo-Con/Agg will feature several infrastructural additions from the 2020 show. The largest of those additions is the new West Hall and the connecting Diamond Lot on the site of the old Gold Lot. AEM says the new West Hall adds 1.4 million sq. ft. of indoor space.

Also new to ConExpo-Con/Agg is the LVCC Loop, an underground transport system that will make stops at South Hall (providing access to both floors of South Hall), Central Hall (allowing attendees to also access North Hall) and the Diamond Lot (providing access to West Hall).

Noteworthy innovation

ConExpo-Con/Agg and the co-located IFPE (the International Fluid Power Exposition) unveiled 10 finalists in their inaugural Next Level Awards program honoring exhibiting companies that are pushing boundaries and developing next-level products, technologies and services designed to advance the construction industry.

John Deere’s JD18X industrial diesel engine, Holcim’s ECOPact low-carbon concrete and Continental’s AG smart conveyor management system are among the products to make the top 10.

“We were overwhelmed by the response to our call for submissions for this inaugural event, and we’re excited to recognize these innovative construction products that are taking the industry to the next level,” Wuesthoff says.

The top product will earn the Contractors’ Top Choice award. ConExpo-Con/Agg and IFPE attendees will have the opportunity to vote for the award March 14-16 during the co-located shows.
According to AEM, a panel of Associated General Contractors (AGC) members selected the finalists in the Next Level Awards program.

“The Next Level Awards are a great showcase of the innovation taking place across the construction marketplace,” says Stephen Sandherr, CEO of AGC. “We are excited to be a part of ConExpo-Con/Agg and to play a role in bringing these leading-edge solutions to the industry.”

Want more ConExpo-Con/Agg coverage?

Keep up with P&Q’s pre-show coverage of ConExpo-Con/Agg 2023 at the magazine’s dedicated show page.