After three years and an unceremonious ending in 2020, ConExpo-Con/Agg is back.
North America’s largest construction industry trade show returns March 14-18 to the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) in Las Vegas. With sold-out exhibit space throughout the halls of the LVCC and the outdoor lots – including the newly-added Diamond Lot – ConExpo-Con/Agg is, quite literally, bigger than ever.
“The addition of the new West Hall and Diamond Lot at the Las Vegas Convention Center gave us, and our exhibitors, a number of new opportunities to show how we are taking the construction industry to the next level,” says Dana Wuesthoff, director of ConExpo-Con/Agg. “Now at 2.8 million square feet of exhibits, there’s more for construction pros to see than ever before.”
According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), the organization that puts on the show every three years, ConExpo-Con/Agg 2023 will be nearly 5 percent bigger than the record set in 2020 and will feature 1,800 exhibitors and more than 175 education sessions.
While the size of the show continues to increase, getting around it will also be easier than ever in 2023. Beneath the entire LVCC campus runs the Convention Center Loop, an underground transportation system that transports convention attendees throughout the campus in under two minutes in Tesla vehicles, free of charge.
“We are excited to welcome ConExpo-Con/Agg back to Las Vegas for another record-setting event,” says Brian Yost, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, which owns and operates the LVCC. “The addition of the West Hall and the Convention Center Loop will only further enhance the ‘Only Vegas’ experience for attendees and exhibitors.”
Attendee, exhibitor excitement
For attendees of ConExpo-Con/Agg, the event gives them a chance to get a hands-on look at equipment and facetime with engineers and manufacturers. This benefit is what Brian Dietz of Bob Dietz & Sons, an excavating contractor in New York’s Hudson Valley, looks forward to the most.
“When you walk up to a machine and talk to someone, you get answers that you are not going to get anywhere else,” Dietz says. “No local equipment dealer can provide that. The event also helps you stay on top of the latest trending technology.”
For many, the event also serves as a benchmark talking point when it comes to equipment and technology trends.
“It’s like everything revolves around ConExpo-Con/Agg,” says Bruce Barnhart, owner of Barnhart’s Custom Services, an excavating contractor in eastern Iowa. “Even our conversations with our employees years after the show connect back to what we saw and learned at the show.”
The show is also a place for companies to showcase their latest equipment and technology. Eagle Crusher is among the companies that will exhibit at ConExpo-Con/Agg and plans to highlight a portable impactor and a portable jaw crusher.
“We’re really excited for the show after a tumultuous couple of years,” says Daniel Friedman, vice president of marketing at Eagle Crusher. “But everyone at Eagle Crusher is ready to get back out in Vegas and see all of the customers.”
The entire McLanahan Corp. family of companies will also be on display at ConExpo-Con/Agg for the second time.
“In 2020, it was the first time we exhibited our family of companies in one space in Central Hall [of the LVCC] with McLanahan, Anaconda [Equipment] and Eagle Iron Works,” says Claire Hoover, marketing and communication coordinator at McLanahan Corp. “We’ll be doing that again in 2023.”
Editorial director Kevin Yanik contributed to this article.