Record Pace
At press time, ICUEE 2013 is on track to set new records. Strong exhibitor demand is pushing exhibit space to capacity, attendee registrations continue to outpace the last two shows and a new education program lineup is attracting near-record sales.
“We certainly hope these positive ICUEE trends reflect a more sustained industry recovery,” said Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the owner and producer of ICUEE.
ICUEE, known as The Demo Expo, brings electric, phone/cable, sewer/water, gas, general construction, landscaping and public works professionals together with experts from manufacturers and service providers to discuss and compare the latest product innovations and to operate equipment in job-like conditions.
More than 16,000 attendees are expected at the event where they will find 800+ exhibitors and more than 25 acres of indoor and outdoor exhibits and product demonstrations. New for 2013 is an indoor exhibitor demo stage where attendees will have opportunities for a firsthand look at new technologies.
Expanded, upgraded education programming at ICUEE 2013 will give attendees a more comprehensive understanding of key industry topics of interest. A record number of industry organizations are co-locating events and education sessions at ICUEE this year.
Included are the Association of Equipment Management Professionals Asset Management Symposium; the Fluid Power Conference, produced and managed by Hydraulics & Pneumatics, which will feature a full day of technical sessions highlighting basic fluid power and troubleshooting for utility vehicles; and the National Rural Water Association’s H2O-XPO for decision-makers and buyers in the water and wastewater industries.
Other educational events being held in conjunction with ICUEE this year include a CALSTART education conference focused on sustainable solutions for fleets and NAFA professional development programs on risk management for fleet managers. The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators will host several exams and its new Service Truck Crane Operator Course and Certification program.
Additionally at ICUEE 2013, the North American Society for Trenchless Technology is co-locating its Cured-in-Place Pipe Good Practices course for trenchless professionals, Underground Construction Technology is holding educational programming relating to the underground construction and rehabilitation infrastructure, and the iP Utility Safety Conference & Expo, produced by UFP’s sister publication, Incident Prevention, will hold its education event for safety, training and operations professionals.
While industry professionals continue to view ICUEE as a valuable venue, as many as 16 industry groups have signed on as official supporting organizations. A full list of these organizations can be found at http://icuee.com/about/supportedby/orgs/.
ICUEE traces its roots to an Illinois farm in the summer of 1966 where Illinois Bell invited 12 trencher manufacturers to demonstrate equipment in the same field on the same day. The event was such a success that it was repeated in 1969 and 1972 as a three-day utility equipment show. By the late 1970s, ICUEE had become a biennial event.
Today, ICUEE is setting new attendance and participation records for its growing education programs and its equipment demonstrations that allow attendees to make effective competitive comparisons.
Seth Skydel
Editor