October 6 may seem like it’s a long time from now, but before you know it, you will be packing up and heading off to the 2009 edition of ICUEE – The Demo Expo. If you’re not planning on going, then you probably need to change your plans.
Why?
Because you don’t want to miss out on getting a chance to experience the latest equipment, application and technology innovation the industry has to offer.
The International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition (ICUEE), the premier international demonstration exposition and education resource for the construction and utility industries, runs October 6 – 8, 2009 and is held in Louisville, KY at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
At this show, you get a chance to test drive the equipment, not just look at it. There are indoor and outdoor exhibits and a large number of the outdoor exhibits are set up so that show attendees can actually climb on a machine and operate.
Over the years, I have probably attended more than 300 trade shows and have to say that ICUEE ranks among the most productive because the show is not just about product, it’s about application and being able to see and feel how a piece of equipment performs.
Are trade shows a good investment in time and money?
They are for both attendees and exhibitors, especially if they have educational sessions attached to them.
Here are some compelling reasons that reinforce this concept:
- 91% of attendees rank trade shows as “extremely useful” as a source for product purchasing information.
Source: Simmons Market Research Bureau - 91% of attendees say that trade shows impact their buying decisions because the competition is in one place allowing for comparison shopping in real time.
Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2006This is especially true for a show like ICUEE where attendees can make visual and performance comparisons of competitive products.
- Trade shows allow exhibitors to show their full product range in real life rather than a catalog, let buyers use all five senses to gain a full appreciation of their product and gain immediate feedback on products.
Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2006Trade shows are probably the best venue for discussion with product engineers and/or product managers. It’s a two-way street because manufacturers can get direct feedback from an end user on their products. Most manufacturers bring product people to these shows, not just sales reps. They are as anxious to learn from show attendees as attendees are to learn from them.
- 85% of decision makers say attending trade shows saves their company time and money by bringing vendors together under one roof.
Source: Center for Exhibition Industry Research Well-managed trade shows are laid out to facilitate attendees and most will keep like vendors as close together as possible. Attendees not only have the opportunity to compare product, they can also compare company attitude and commitment. The design and functionality of a booth will say a lot about the exhibitor as will the staff that is on-hand to answer questions. You go to these shows to gather as much information as possible, so the better trained and more professional the booth staff is, the better it is for the attendees.
When I’m curious about how well a new machine meets the market demands, I’ll hang around the booth with that machine and ask people who come in to kick tires what they think. At ICUEE I have an opportunity to hang around a demo site and ask a contractor who gets off a piece of equipment after having operated it for the last 30 minutes and ask him what he thinks. I’ve seen attendees doing the same thing, exchanging opinions on a particular product or application.
Whenever I talk to a contractor I always end up asking them about the type of information in which they are most interested. Everyone on the outbound information distribution side of the business has an opinion, so I figure that since I’m writing for the people who use the equipment I should know what they want to learn about. Over the last 40 years, the answer has been pretty much the same, “I want to know what the guy who owns one thinks about it; if he’s having any problems with it; and if he’s found some new applications for it.” Typically the person I’m talking to will ultimately add, “I don’t need specs or product information. You can get that anywhere, especially with the Internet. I want to know what someone who uses the equipment thinks, not what the manufacturer thinks.”
I’m planning on being at ICUEE because it’s one of the best venues for this kind of information exchange. Will you be there?
Show registration doesn’t open until April 13, 2009 and that’s only a couple of days away. Attendees can register online for the exhibition as well as show education and housing, and they can save time and money by registering in advance. Full details are online at http://www.icuee.com/.
Despite a stalled economy, industry interest in the show remains positive. In a recent survey of past attendees:
- 94 percent said their companies were sending the same number or more people to the 2009 ICUEE compared to the last show.
-
More than 48 percent said they planned to increase or keep the same level of equipment purchases as previous years.
Magestro said that ICUEE has a track record of giving attendees access to the leaders in the utility and construction industry, and of bringing a highly qualified audience to the show for exhibitors. She cited some numbers from the last show:
- 97 percent said ICUEE was valuable to their business.
- 78 percent of attendees said they had a company role in purchasing equipment.
- 77 percent said they would not have made the same purchase decision if they had not attended ICUEE.
New additions to ICUEE for 2009 are the inaugural H2O-XPO show (water and wastewater), the IUV Technical Conference and exhibit pavilion (design and engineering), and the iP Safety Conference and Safety Zone exhibit pavilion (safety and training). For more information, email info@icuee.com or go online at http://www.icuee.com/.
See you in Louisville…
Greg Sitek