A record number of utility and construction professionals seeking the latest industry technologies, innovations and trends converged at the 2019 International Construction & Utility Equipment Exposition, held Oct. 1-3 at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

Known as North America’s largest event for utilities and utility and construction contractors, the biennial ICUEE — aka, The Demo Expo — had upward of 19,000 attendees from the United States, Canada and 65 countries. More than 1,000 exhibitors spanned the show’s 1.34 million square feet of expo space.

In 2017, the event drew about 18,000 attendees and just under 1,000 exhibitors covering 1.24 million sq. ft. 

“We shattered our attendance record on Tuesday,” said John Rozum, ICUEE show director. “Our 70 registration kiosks were printing 25 badges per minute between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m., so we knew the temperature wasn’t the only thing running hot that day.”  

Rozum noted that exhibitors brought more and bigger pieces of equipment to the show this year. Exhibits included the show’s signature hands-on equipment test drives and interactive product demonstrations.  

“By all measures, this was an outstanding ICUEE with more to see and experience than ever before, and it was gratifying to see such positive energy among attendees and exhibitors,” said Rick Johnson, ICUEE 2019 show chair and CEO emeritus of Charles Machine Works. 

He added, “ICUEE is always such a tremendous opportunity to make lasting industry connections that help participants continue to grow and stay competitive.”

The 2019 edition of ICUEE also featured new and expanded education programs, networking opportunities and a new equipment demonstration area. The latter included the UTV Test Track, which featured utility terrain vehicle displays and test-drive courses for hands-on evaluation of machine capabilities.

According to ICUEE officials, many exhibitors were pleased with the lively traffic at the expo. “This is our first year at ICUEE, and this is the place to be if you are focused on the utility construction industry,” said Amine Khimjee, vice president of sales and marketing at Fat Truck, a manufacturer of industrial off-road utility vehicles. “We [had] seven people working the booth and [were] busy throughout the show.” 

ICUEE also focused on attracting the next generation of utility professionals through a new Career Skills Event that drew in hundreds of high school students from Kentucky and southern Indiana. The students had a chance to experience hands-on learning stations, tours of the showfloor, interact with exhibitors and learn about careers in the industry.

Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), which owns and produces the show, partnered on the career skills event with Bridging America’s Gap, a workforce development organization that works to bring the next generation into the skilled trades industries.

Meanwhile, new and expanded education offerings included more field classrooms on the showfloor and new lunch-and-learn sessions. Desi Matel-Anderson, FEMA’s first chief innovation officer, returned to ICUEE 2019 to lead three Disaster Simulation Labs.

In addition, a new Emerging Technologies Pavilion joined expanded Safety and Fleet Management exhibit pavilions on the indoor showfloor.

ICUEE attendees also had the chance to experience the show’s first-ever ICUEE Live concert in downtown Louisville’s Fourth Street Live dining and entertainment complex for a fun networking event that featured local musical artists. 

ICUEE will return to Kentucky Exposition Center two years from now, Sept. 28-30, 2021.

AEM Pulls off Successful CONEXPO in Chile

AEM also recently concluded another construction-related equipment event, CONEXPO Latin America 2019, the largest construction and infrastructure trade show in Hispanic America. 

Held Oct. 2-5 at the Espacio Riesco Event and Convention Center in Santiago, Chile and co-located with Expo Edifica, the event boasted more than 20,000 registered attendees and 600 exhibitors spanning approximately 484,000 sq. ft. of expo space.

In addition to exhibits and an equipment demo area spotlighting the latest construction-related equipment, products, technologies and services for the region, the show featured co-located learning opportunities from leading industry organizations as well as international exhibit pavilions from North America, China, Germany and Northern Ireland.

“We thank all show participants for their support; we achieved our goal of offering a top-quality event with real value for exhibitors and attendees,” said Fred Vieira, show director of CONEXPO Latin America and AEM director of International Exhibitions and Events. “We are committed to providing a platform that connects buyers and sellers and business solutions to help them succeed as the regional economy continues to improve.” 

In line with other major industry events, CONEXPO Latin America will now move to a three-year cycle, according to AEM officials.

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