CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE 2011 Gets Thumbs Up From Attendees, Exhibitors

The triennial CONEXPO-CO​N/AGG & IFPE 2011’s post-show exhibitor and attendee surveys indicated both groups gave high marks to the recent show, held in March at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers, which owns the show, will use the survey data in future planning to offer even more value at the next edition of the combined events, according to AEM officials.

"We are always looking for ways to improve the shows for both attendees and exhibitors; our goal is a quality show experience that meets their business needs with maximum results," said Melissa Magestro, AEM’s show director.

Here are some of the results from the 2011 CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE post-show surveys:

• For CONEXPO-CON/AGG, 89 percent of attending contractors and 91 percent of attending producers had a "buying influence" for products at the shows; 73 percent of IFPE attendees also had a "buying influence," which is above the manufacturing/industrial exhibition average, according to AEM officials.
• Attendees also ranked the shows' value above the industry average for return on investment of time and money spent: 4.1 on a scale of 5 for CONEXPO-CON/AGG and 4.2 for IFPE. The industry average is 3.7, according to AEM officials.
• Attendees' top reason to attend was to examine the new products and technologies on display (92 percent). Approximately 87 percent said they wanted to check out specific companies/products, which emphasizes the success of exhibitors using pre-show promotion to encourage attendee traffic.
• Other top reasons cited by attendees for their show participation included networking, personal professional development and meeting with technical experts.
• Exhibitors expressed overwhelming satisfaction with the quality and quantity of attendees, and 91 percent said they were satisfied with their overall experience at CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE 2011, according to AEM officials.
• More than 90 percent of exhibitors said face-to-face customer contact was important or very important to the success of their company.

"Even in today’s increasingly digital world, face-to-face exchange of ideas and the up-close look at 'what's new' can’t be beat," Magestro said.

The next triennial CONEXPO-CO​N/AGG & IFPE 2011 will be held March 18-22, 2014 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.