By Dana Wuesthoff, CONEXPO-CON/AGG Show Director —
With CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 just a few short weeks away, I can’t help but reflect on how much the experiences of the last few years taught us all about the value and importance of participating in live, in-person exhibitions and events.
In conducting research, and in holding successful and record-breaking Utility Expo and World of Asphalt shows in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear to us at AEM that one thing remains just as true now as it has been for decades: People value face-to-face interactions and want to see, hear and experience equipment and innovation live and in-person.
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Our talented and dedicated AEM staff has worked diligently the last three years to bring exhibitors and attendees a new, different and better edition of CONEXPO-CON/AGG, while still holding true to our steadfast commitment to provide the best-in-class level of service they have come to expect from the show. We’re truly “Taking Construction to the Next Level” this year, and it will be an experience none of us will soon forget.
It's no secret CONEXPO-CON/AGG has always been the place where major innovations in construction technology are announced and showcased. But what we have in store for the industry at the 2023 show is truly special. Whether we’re discussing electrification, hydrogen power, automation or another advancing and evolving technology, it’s clear a transformation of the construction industry is underway. And there’s no better opportunity to see where things stand, and where they’re headed, than with us in Las Vegas next month.
Our exhibitors are set to unveil machines and technologies best described as “world’s biggest” and “world’s most powerful,” and those words won’t mean much to anyone who isn’t on-location to see it and touch it firsthand. For example, how can an excavator operator understand the look and feel of a 22-ton electric excavator through a screen? Or how can a general contractor fully understand how their jobsite is going to change with autonomous wheel loaders and hydrogen haul trucks on it from looking at a website? As I’m sure everyone who has ever been to a CONEXPO-CON/AGG will agree, it just isn’t the same unless you’re actually there at the show.
It’s been almost three years since anyone has put together or visited a trade show booth at CONEXPO-CON/AGG, and a lot has changed since we were all last together in Las Vegas. We now have the brand-new West Hall and Diamond Lots, which were under construction in 2020, as well as the Tesla-powered LVCC Loop, an underground tunnel hosting Tesla cars running in a loop from the Diamond Lot to Central Hall to South Hall, home of the co-located International Fluid Power Expo (IFPE).
But if I’m being honest, the new element of the 2023 show I’m most excited about is our new Community Zone we’re featuring in the Festival Lot. Aside from being a great place to relax and recharge (as well as sample an exclusive CONEXPO-CON/AGG beer), the Community Zone will be a can’t-miss forum for networking or weighing in on who should win this year’s inaugural Next Level Awards.
We’re also excited to report registration is pacing similar to the 2020 show, which brought in 130,000 registered attendees. One of the biggest values for the construction pros coming to CONEXPO-CON/AGG is it offers up-close and immediate access solutions and answers to questions they’ve had for ages, and inspiration for ideas they never knew they possessed. The exhibitors are what provide that. And especially for the smaller exhibitors, they’re going to experience being found by people they never imagined, and they’re going to generate some real excitement for those attendees.
And for the exhibitors more on the hardware side of things, their engineers are also going to experience the co-located International Fluid Power Expo (IFPE). There’s simply no better to learn about new developments in hydraulics, pneumatics, motion control, and more to inspire the next ideas they bring to fruition. I often say what they see at IFPE will be products by the next CONEXPO-CON/AGG three years from now.
So, with the show quite literally days away, I’m thrilled to once again offer a uniquely valuable opportunity for AEM members and their fellow exhibitors to showcase new products, gain insights and feedback directly from equipment end users, as well as learn about industry challenges and what potential solutions construction professionals seek. Absolutely nothing can replace the experience of connecting with one another in person, and there’s no better place for the construction industry to do just that than CONEXPO-CON/AGG.
Our industry has told us this is how and where they want to meet. Now, three years since we last gathered in Las Vegas, we’re bound and determined to deliver the biggest and best CONEXPO-CON/AGG yet.
About CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023
CONEXPO-CON/AGG is the largest construction trade show in North America and the premier event that connects professionals from every major construction sector. Held every three years, CONEXPO-CON/AGG takes the construction industry to the next level by helping construction professionals elevate their industry expertise, experience the newest equipment and products through demonstrations and industry-leading education, make new professional connections, and grow their own marketability within the industry. The next CONEXPO-CON/AGG will be held March 14-18, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the meantime, to receive the latest CONEXPO-CON/AGG updates, sign up for show alerts.
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