CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017
The five-day international exhibition on construction industry held in Las Vegas during March 7-11, 2017 recorded around 128,000 attendees, including around 26,000 international attendees. 

As multiple construction and manufacturing industry segments converged on the Las Vegas Convention Center from March 7-11, 2017, manufacturers and customers voiced widespread economic optimism. Exhibitors at the Conexpo-Con/Agg and IFPE 2017 enjoyed tremendous sales activity throughout the week.

?This has been one of the best editions of Conexpo-Con/Agg ever,? said Rich Goldsbury, 2017 Conexpo-Con/Agg chair and CEO and President, Doosan Bobcat North America & Oceania. ?Exhibitors are writing sales at an incredible pace, and attendees clearly came to Las Vegas to buy.?

?There was an element of confidence and pent-up demand at the show,? said Dave Foster, Vice President for Marketing & Corporate Communications, Volvo CE. ?These are not tyre-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 Conexpo-Con/Agg and IFPE 2017 attendees.

?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.?

At the same time, the technological change revolutionising these industries was pervasive across the shows? record 2.8 million-plus net sq ft of exhibits featuring a record 2,800-plus exhibitors from the leading US and global manufacturers, from multinational giants to small firms with specialised products.

The world?s first 3D-printed excavator, the brand-new Tech Experience and a stellar education line-up anchored a forward-looking vision for construction and infrastructure on display at Conexpo-Con/Agg and IFPE 2017.

New Tech Experience and Tech Talks Forum
The new Tech Experience at Conexpo-Con/Agg and IFPE 2017 amplified the technology throughout the show floor, with an emphasis on emerging construction innovations that are driving change and process improvements across the industry.

Three interactive zones gave attendees a first-hand glimpse at the technologies shaping the jobsites of tomorrow, infrastructure development and workforce development.

The world?s first fully functional 3D printed excavator anchored the Tech Experience, with a 3D Printworks further exploring additive manufacturing?s possibilities for construction applications.

The ?Tech Talks? forum at the Tech Experience gave attendees a chance to hear from global innovators and technology leaders to discuss what lies ahead. The forum?s content-rich presentations aimed to inspire and inform attendees, with an emphasis on applied and blue-sky innovation to benefit infrastructure projects and construction job sites. Among the line-up were Bruce Upbin, Vice President for Strategic Communications, Hyperloop One; D?Arcy Salzmann, Senior Director, Strategy, Microsoft HoloLens & Studio Manager, Future Bureau, Microsoft; Captains Mark & Scott Kelly, former NASA astronauts; and Scott Brusaw, Co-Founder, Solar Roadways.

Transportation Reimagined: Infrastructure Vision 2050
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) helped to convene a high-level conversation on the future of transportation infrastructure as five finalists squared off in the Infrastructure Vision 2050 Challenge Finale event. The top winner: a proposal from a pair of University of California-Berkeley students to leverage autonomous vehicle technology to develop a surge-priced ?Hyperlane? to ease congestion and improve mobility.

AEM launched the incentivised competition to generate crowd sourced solutions to address the future of infrastructure here in America, and throughout the world. The campaign?s three phases ? Complain, Dream, and Build ? drew hundreds of ideas from across the world about how to revolutionise infrastructure.

Over $100,000 raised to help Connect Military Veterans with industry jobs
Attendees and exhibitors partnered to raise over $100,000 to help military veterans find quality through multiple charitable events throughout the week.
The proceeds, which benefit the show?s official charitable partner, the Call of Duty? Endowment, were raised through online, silent and live auctions, as well as an after-hours concert on March 8 by the multi-platinum rock band FOREIGNER.
The non-profit organisation, founded by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, helps military veterans
secure high-quality jobs and raises awareness of the value vets bring to
the workplace.
?These new benefit events offered the opportunity for Conexpo-Con/Agg participants to not only network and have fun, but also rally together as a construction industry community to raise funds to support military veterans,? said Sara Truesdale Mooney, Show Director and AEM Vice President, Exhibitions and Business Development.

Education and Exhibits: Industry Best Practices & Product Innovations
Comprehensive education programmes at Conexpo-Con/Agg and IFPE 2017 helped attendees sharpen their professional skills and improve their businesses? efficiency and productivity.
Conexpo-Con/Agg 2017 offered a record 143 education sessions, grouped into 10 tracks, including a new Technology track. IFPE 2017 hosted the industry-wide Energy-efficient Hydraulics and Pneumatics Conference in addition to hands-on ?college courses? on effective use of hydraulics in mobile equipment.
On the show floor, IFPE 2017 featured the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) exhibit pavilion, and Conexpo-Con/Agg 2017 included the Demolition & Recycling exhibit pavilion from the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) and the Lift Safety Zone from the National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators and International Powered Access Federation.
Eight country-specific international exhibit pavilions reinforced the global scope of the shows and expanded the business contacts between attendees and exhibitors: IFPE with China, Italy, Korea and Taiwan, Conexpo-Con/Agg with China, Germany, Korea, and the UK.

Global industry gathering place
Hundreds of industry meetings, including annual conventions of eight industry associations, were held in conjunction with the shows in recognition of their reputation as an industry gathering place. More than 200 US and international allied industry and business organisations signed on as official supporting organisations and more than 300 as supporting media.
?Our ability to work with competitors to organise this event provides an added benefit and contributes to the show, exhibitor and attendees success. As we have said before, this is a show put on by the industry ? for the industry,? said
Mike Haberman, President, Gradall Industries and Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) 2017 Chair. ?Here we can share
ideas and knowledge that will help
the construction industry to grow
and prosper.?
The shows received US Department of Commerce (DOC) International Buyer Program status, signifying their status as a leading worldwide event, and offered a variety of services to facilitate international industry participation, including an International Trade Center onsite.


HIGHLIGHTS
?    US buyer attendance jumped over 16 per cent from the 2014 show, and total buyer attendance improved by almost 8 per cent.
?    Overall contractor and producer attendance grew by 10 per cent.
?    Total attendance neared 128,000 for the week.
?    Almost half of all attendees serve in executive positions at their company, and more than 3-in-5 attendees serve in a decision-making role.
?    Almost 26,000 international attendees from 150 countries braved global headwinds including a strong dollar and flagging export markets and composed nearly 20 per cent of overall attendance.
?    Attendees purchased a record-breaking 52,000 tickets for education sessions at the show, a 26 percent increase from the 2014 show. Total ticket sales excluding IFPE jumped by over 27 percent compared to 2014.