On Record

The Big Show

By Marcia Gruver Doyle

It’s weird to be writing this one week before our industry’s largest show, knowing many of you will hear about the major announcements well before you read this column in April.

Marcia Untitled 11OK, this gap is a regular part of producing magazines, but the Big Event last month only emphasizes it.

Compared to a few years ago, the trade show juggling act has gotten more intense for our five-member editorial team – put it on the website! Post it to Facebook! Make sure it can be viewed on a smart phone! Tweet it! And don’t forget the video…

What we couldn’t afford to forget in all this activity was just plain excellent reporting – not only stating the immediate who-what-where but also analyzing its impact on the market.

What can get lost in all the immediate hype on the trade show floor is pondering what it all means.

We know not all of you could attend the show – and it’s our fondest wish that too much work kept you away – so we were there instead. We may not have covered every nook and cranny of CONEXPO-CON/AGG, but we expended some major shoe leather trying.

Which brings me to next month’s issue. What can get lost in all the immediate hype on the trade show floor is pondering what it all means. That’s why rather than just give you a laundry list of product introductions, in May we’ve slated an examination of the “10 biggest things to come out of CONEXPO-CON/AGG.” The actual number may be more or less – my gut leans toward the former – but the idea is to explore what we feel will have a major impact on tomorrow’s jobsites.

Of course, whenever we create a list like this, we’re bound to have some disagreements, starting within our editorial team. If you do disagree, great – I’d encourage you to send us your own list. Let’s generate some healthy, even heated, discussions.

Last month’s show is bound to resonate for years to come. Industry providers, tethered by the economy, have been holding fire on introductions. Add mandated Tier 4 engine changes and the ever-flowing onslaught of technological advances, and you’ve got a potent mixture for change. Just how much change will be interesting to reason out in the days ahead. EW