This year’s ConExpo welcomed a record-breaking 128,000 attendees and delivered the best sales activity OEMs have experienced for many years.
The show in Las Vegas, Nevada saw multiple construction and manufacturing industry representatives converge in the Las Vegas Convention Center last week (March 7-11).
Widespread economic optimism from both manufacturers and customers alike was voiced, according to 2017 ConExpoCon/AGG chair and Doosan Bobcat’s CEO and president for North America and Oceania, Rich Goldsbury.
He said, “This has been one of the best editions of CONEXPO-CON/AGG ever.
“Exhibitors are writing sales at an incredible pace, and attendees clearly came to Las Vegas to buy.”
Dave Foster, vice president for marketing & corporate communications at Volvo CE, added, “There was an element of confidence and pent-up demand at the show.
“These are not tire-kickers. These are people who are willing to buy multiple machines for work they have now and anticipated growth based on a renewed confidence in the market.”
A series of key metrics reflected the improved conditions, which were bolstered by a new pricing strategy intended to reinforce the overall quality of attendees to the 2017 exhibition.
These included; US buyer attendance increasing by 16% on the 2014 show and total buyer attendance improving by 8%; overall contractor and producer attendance grew by 10%, with almost half of attendees in executive positions and more than 60% in a decision-making role.
“I think there is a noticeable difference in the attendees at this show, and the difference is their optimism,” said Gradall Industries President and 2017 Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) chair Michael Haberman. “Optimism was on display throughout the show, and the traffic was excellent.”
Technological change revolutionizing these industries was pervasive across the shows’ record 2.8 million-plus net square feet of exhibits featuring a record 2,800-plus exhibitors from the leading US and global manufacturers, from multinational giants to small firms with specialized products.
The world’s first 3D-printed excavator, the brand-new tech experience and an impressive education lineup anchored a forward-looking vision for construction and infrastructure.
