Stateside with Stephanie
If you build it, they attend!
ONEXPO-CON / AGG, the
C largest construction industry exhibition in the western hemisphere is held every three years in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year’ s edition in March attractedover 4,000 exhibitors and 140,000 visitors from the US and 128 countries. For five days in March the Las Vegas Convention Center( inside and outside in the parking lots) and Las Vegas Festival Fairgrounds showcased lots of equipment, technology, and more.
The exhibition is owned and produced by AEM, The American Equipment Manufacturers Association, headquartered in Milwaukee.
What I like about the show:
• It felt fresh. Maybe because it’ s held every three years it’ s never the same footprint.
• There were lots and lots of tyres to kick – literally. The sheer size and breadth of the equipment displayed was impressive.
• Exhibitors and visitors were engaged with each other.
• Branded merchandise from both the show and exhibitors was for sale.
• AI was there but wasn’ t( thankfully!) the whole story.
Cool things I saw:
1. At the Case stand, an activation to capture User Generated Content. Visitors would provide contact details then be filmed( up to five minutes) explaining which Case products / equipment they liked and why. The video is then sent to the visitor, and Case now has a ton of User
Generated Content( USG) to share on social media for a long time. The cost? Minimal. The reach? Significant especially as the videos are authentic( not staged) and enthusiastic.
2. Operators remotely driving a bulldozer and performing tasks in a field several States away from the show.( More than one stand featured this).
3. Exhibitor-designed stands brilliantly showcasing what they sell.
Cool things I did: 1. Climbed into the cab of some big equipment.
2. Walked 20,000 steps in one day OK, not cool, but it was a big show!)
3. Used interactive exhibits to learn about equipment, improve
Left: Stephanie Selesnick at the show
Bottom left: Remote control Hyundai booth construction site logistics and safety, and explore tech. Special note: Caterpillar’ s Performance Center showed users how technology and AI can enhance construction sites and design.
Missed opportunities:
1. An important multinational equipment manufacturer had an interactive kiosk for visitors to find global distributors. When searching a country or region on the map, the distributor’ s name and a QR code popped up. The missed opportunity was collecting the visitor’ s information to send to the distributors for follow up.
2. We keep being told by corporate exhibit managers and marketers that data is everything. Many of the especially large companies with significant square feet / square metres weren’ t capturing leads – or if they were, I missed seeing it.
Trends on the show Floor: 1. Large and small companies in exhibits showcasing partnerships.
2. Subject Matter Experts( SME’ s) were more visible. There’ s a genuine enthusiasm SME’ s have for the products and equipment they work on day-in and day-out that can’ t be replicated by the best salespeople.
3. With everchanging tariffs and the Trump Administration’ s‘ UnWelcome International Visitors Banner’, uncertainty has become normal and the importance of being at the expo far exceeded the trepidation of the greetings international professionals anticipated upon entering the US. I was happy to hear so many languages being spoken on the exhibit floors and saw a good number of international pavilions. It was wonderful to see the celebration of community, commerce, and connections at CONEXPO / CON-AGG 2026. Congrats to AEM, their extended team, suppliers, and audience on a great edition. EW
28 Issue 2 2026 www. exhibitionworld. co. uk