CONEXPO CON/AGG 2023

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the CONEXPO-CON/AGG show in Las Vegas and wanted to share my initial thoughts and observations, as it's only held every 3 years and this was my virgin run at a true construction event. Characterizing it as MASSIVE is an understatement, as there was 3+ million net square feet of exhibits, more than 2,400 exhibitors, and record attendance with ~140K attendees from over 130 countries.

One of the unique aspects of the largest trade show in North America was the fact that you could see, touch and experience the actual heavy equipment products up close. The latest electric-powered or hybrid models were also on display scattered among the South, Central, North, West Halls, as well as the outdoor Bronze, Silver, Diamond lots - and don't forget the Festival grounds!

I've been to super large events before like CES and MWC, but this was different. This was 5 full days packed with new product launches, major company announcements, education sessions (i.e. construction safety, equipment technology, sustainable building practices) and numerous networking opportunities. It was obvious that a tremendous amount of thought, planning and attention went into the website, map program - and free custom app which was quite helpful navigating to the desired booth. I even had plenty of signal on my smartphone at all times - Kudos to the producers and staff!

Some Basic Themes:

• Electrification of mining & heavy vehicles
• Off-highway fleets
• Evolution from 2D to 3D
• Precise positioning is a must
• Surprisingly not everything is connected yet
• Solar construction cameras becoming a new vertical

Luckily I had the foresight to purchase 2 new pairs of shoes to help protect my feet for the 50K steps that I would unknowingly take in those 72 hours. My basic strategy to minimize wasted time was to target 1 Hall per day and walk the floor in the morning and then meet prospects after lunch. I loaded up on vitamins before arriving and stayed hydrated with water. I religiously carried hand sanitizer in my pocket and miraculously returned home on time and healthy!

It was really great to connect/meet with so many partners like Geoforce , & Geotab , prospective clients, and peers to compare notes on industry trends and opportunities. Many of the telematics and asset tracking solutions were purely cellular, but a single technology approach is simply not good enough for many of these types of customers and use cases. Especially true if the data is mission critical. By combining our #satellite network offerings with cellular, blended solutions can overcome the geographical limits of cellular’s network availability instantly, allowing #Iridium customers to deploy highly reliable hybrid solutions in their local markets - and literally anywhere else on the planet.?

In retrospect, my 1st CONEXPO proved well worth the effort/expense and it's a must-see event in my humble opinion. Grateful for the opportunity to attend - and the best part was catching up with old friends. See you there in 2026 !!

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