las vegas
Wow. Although Hydra-Tech Pumps has exhibited at the ConExpo / ConAGG show before, this was my first time and the word wow doesn’t even begin to convey the size and scope of this show held every 3 years in Las Vegas. Labeled as the “biggest trade show in the Western Hemishpere” this show earned its reputation. In my 22 years of trade shows, ConExpo is easily twice as big as the next largest show I have attended. The stats: more than 2800 exhibitors whose displays took up more than 2.8 million square feet of exhibit space to show their products to 128,000 total attendees, including 26,000 international visitors from 150 countries. Twenty percent of the visitor came from other countries – the Hydra-Tech Pumps booth saw a steady stream of visitors from Australia, South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East as well as Canada, Mexico and the US.
In our booth, Hydra-Tech Pumps displayed a 16 horsepower Kohler diesel power unit and a 13 horsepower “special” power unit with a Yamaha engine and galvanized frame. We had a 6” Sand / Slurry pump, an S6V sewage pump, an S4T-2 an S4TLPAL, and a stainless steel S3T. Sand / slurry pumping seems to be the hot need right now – it seems as though every other conversation at the show was about pumping sand or grit, dredging, or running a CSL pump in some similar application.
As with any trade show there are so many different aspects to appreciate. We enjoyed meeting many new prospects both local and far flung. Having current customers, distributors, dealers, competitors and vendors come through the booth is always fun. We had the chance to explore the IFPE section of the show to see what new hydraulic technologies can help us build better power units and controls. And I can’t speak for my colleagues, but walking around the indoor and outdoor exhibits took me back to being a kid playing with Tonka trucks in a pile of dirt in my parent’s back yard. Excavators, trucks, cranes, pavers, wood chippers and every piece of equipment used in any aspect of construction and agriculture imaginable. The next ConExpo / ConAGG show March 10-14 in 2020 and I can’t wait to go.
Written By: Jeff Whittaker