CONEXPO Was Bigger & Better Than Ever Before: What You Missed

When a show only comes around every fours, you know it’s going to be significantly different every time. This year’s just-ended CONEXPO-CON/AGG show held in Las Vegas was no exception. It was nice to get away from the snow and cold, but we’re exhausted. Of course we wouldn’t have missed CONEXPO for anything.

The sheer numbers were staggering. Show officials report there 2.35 million square foot of exhibit space, up 7% from the 2010 show. Likewise, attendance was up 8%, to just under 130,000 people. More than 30,000 of them came from global destinations to learn about the latest construction equipment and techniques they can put to use on the ground in their countries.

We go because of you.

CONEXPO is an unparalleled opportunity for many of our Tracey Road Equipment crew members to experience the networking, hands-on exploration of new equipment and classroom learning that help us improve our dealership.

Some of our customers were also able to attend, and it was fun to see you there. But not everyone can make the trip. We’re your eyes and ears on the show floor and at the outdoor exhibits. As far as the seminars go, you can still “attend” yourself after the fact, because every educational session was recorded and they’re all now available for purchase.

Here’s what we saw.

Brand new loaders, excavators, grinders, and lifters that raise people higher, as well as vehicles that transport more workers underground. They’re bigger, tougher, smarter, more comfortable to operate and better looking to give even the most rugged jobsites a greater sense of style.

We saw that Tier 4-Final engines are finally here. More efficient, plenty powerful, just the thing to save you money and build your construction company’s green image. We learned the demand for intake and exhaust noise reduction systems, known as “iNDr,” is growing rapidly, especially for machines that work in urban environments.

We got to sit in new machines and try them out. We got to play with lots of toy-sized models, too. And we had an opportunity to compare manufacturers for specific types of equipment, to really see what’s different about each one.

Here’s what we learned.

Optimism is running rampant throughout the construction industry, a very welcome change from what we’ve experienced in recent years. CONEXPO managers say there were a record number of purchase-on-site sales at this show.

Educational seminars focused on everything from increasing job safety onsite and getting to the site to creating a high-performance business organization. Ron Black of The Mentor Group presented a workshop on “how to handle business-to-business negotiations if you want to have friends later on in business,” noting that working toward building a larger pie you can share creates more value than an adversarial approach.

CONEXPO returns to Las Vegas in 2017. We’re looking forward to seeing you there. And if you can’t make it, Tracey Road Equipment will be there again for you.