Successful Outcomes From CONEXPO-CON/AGG

Link Manufacturing, Ltd. attended CONEXPO-CON/AGG trade show last week. The show is North America’s largest construction trade show. Held every three years in Las Vegas, this massive event features the latest equipment advances and newest technology applications in every aspect of construction.

The crowd was much better than expected under the circumstances of COVID-19 and most importantly, the right buyers were on the show floor. Tuesday for us was the best day in terms of leads and attendance at our booth. Exhibitors across the show, from the Festival Grounds to South Hall, expressed enthusiasm for the tremendous engagement they received from contractors looking to purchase equipment. Of course, a number of companies either fully eliminated or significantly scaled down their presence at CONEXPO-CON/AGG due to concerns related to the coronavirus. The show, however, still covered a record 2.7 million-plus net sq. ft. of exhibits and featured 2,300-plus exhibitors. The event saw registrations exceed 130,000 attendees. Final attendance figures reflect international and domestic attendee cancellations totaled less than 1 percent due to COVID-19, nevertheless compared to 2017 CONEXPO-CON/AGG show; overall contractor attendance grew by 14 percent; six in seven attendees served in a decision-making role; and total buyer attendance improved nearly 5 percent.

We have been pleased with the success and display of our products across the overall show floor. Link’s booth featured our 52K Air Link Chassis suspension and newly released ROI Cabmate. Many veteran drivers and mechanics were able to spot out key advantages to Link’s Air Link Tandem Drive Chassis Suspension and were impressed with the engineering and manufacturing of the product. Many attendees enjoyed seeing the future of our Cabmate cab suspension and were interested in purchasing the ROI Cabmate as soon as it is available to the vocational market.

Several OEM’s also had placement of our product within their booth. Our newly released 85K Air Link Tandem Drive Chassis Suspension received record response inside the Mack Truck booth on a Granite 84B Daycab Twin steer. The 50K TR50-HDT Trailer Suspension was also unveiled and displayed on a Smithco mine series side dump trailer. Finally, several crane OEM’s featured our Air Link Chassis Suspension as a standard product in their line of mobile and compact cranes.

There might have been fewer handshakes but just as many deals were done, and even the unusually wet weather didn’t dampen the spirits of an exciting and busy show. Key themes for Link throughout the show were how our customers can be more productive with Link products and how our future technologies will positively impact the comfort and safety of vocational drivers. Overall, attendees enjoyed networking with us and finding new opportunities for Link in construction industry segments. Please contact me, if you have any questions or are interested in our new products.