P&Q: What surprised you about the show, if anything?
Swank: Quite frankly, the amount of time people spent in our booth. Usually, people might wander in for a few seconds, grab a piece of literature and walk out without talking to someone. But this year was different. People were sticking around long enough to have conversations.
The average ‘dwell time’ in our booth was 37 minutes. I think this shows just how interested the attendees at this year’s show were in finding new solutions for their operations. It gave our team an added boost of excitement and energy knowing that people were genuinely interested in learning about how Philippi-Hagenbuch can partner with them to help improve their efficiency.
Randall: 140,000. We had heard rumblings that attendance was high, but that’s a major increase over any previous show. What a fantastic surprise. It goes to show the dedication toward growth and new technology, and the importance of camaraderie within the aggregates industry.
P&Q: How about the weather?
Swank: With an indoor booth and no windows, we did not see the weather directly much except for when walking in and out of the convention center at the start and end of each day. While there were ebbs and flows to traffic throughout the show, the poor weather on Tuesday especially drove additional traffic inside. So, we did see even more people that day. Otherwise, I can’t say too much; I am just happy there wasn’t snow.
Randall: In the middle of the monsoon on Wednesday afternoon, I remember asking our team: ‘Is this the time to decide if we move indoors in 2026?’ To which I was met with a resounding: ‘Outside is the place to be.’
Looking back, it rains at least one day at every ConExpo, but that doesn’t seem to deter visitors and just makes exhibiting outside a little more of a challenge. Plus, all of us from the north (Canada) were just happy it wasn’t snowing.
Geisler: We had a tent thankfully, so while the rain was not ideal, it did not knock us down. The traffic was lighter when the rain was coming down, but people were still out and about. I think that speaks to the dedication and true interest of the crowds at this year’s show.
Want more ConExpo-Con/Agg content?
Check out P&Q’s coverage of ConExpo-Con/Agg 2023 – and more – at the magazine’s dedicated show page.
