September 2017 Vol. 72 No. 9
Features
ICUEE Returns, Bigger Than Ever
The 2017 ICUEE is expected to be the biggest in the event’s long history.
Billed as the utility industry’s largest trade show for utilities and utility contractors, ICUEE (International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition) will be held Oct. 3 – 5 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY.
ICUEE will have a record-setting 28 acres of indoor and outdoor exhibits, where more than 950 exhibitors will present the latest equipment and services available to the world’s utility providers. Not only that, ICUEE provides networking opportunities with thousands of professional attendees. Twenty percent of the exhibitors are new to ICUEE, said the event owner and producer (Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).
Long known as a “Demo Expo,” ICUEE features live demonstrations, both outside and at modern indoor convention facilities. Trams will transport visitors around the exposition grounds.
The 2017 ICUEE will have specialized exhibit pavilions for fleet management, safety and green utilities. A two-mile Test Drive Zone will highlight on-road equipment and technologies, and indoor interactive product demonstrations will complement in-booth product presentations.
There will be Chinese and Korean exhibit pavilions, and a Lift Safety Zone sponsored by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).
While efforts have been made to broaden the scope of ICUEE, “dry” utilities – electrical power and telecommunications – continue to dominate the event.
From the beginning
The origins of ICUEE date from the mid-1960s when field events were held on farmland near Elburn, IL, west of Chicago. From then until now, demonstrations have been the heart of ICUEE, and manufactures serving the underground construction market have taken maximum advantage of the opportunity. Indeed, the underground construction industry has been a key to the success and growth of ICUEE. Vermeer, Ditch Witch and McLaughlin were at the first Elburn show and have been at every event ever since.
As at past ICUEEs, “K” Area again will be bustling with demonstrations of horizontal directional drills, auger boring machines, pipe bursting equipment, trenchers, backhoe-loaders, skid-steers with multiple attachments, other excavation equipment and support products.
Show attendees include contractors and utility construction personnel. They can operate equipment in the demonstration areas, discuss product capabilities with company technical experts, and compare various brand products and identify the ones that best meet the needs of their work.
Targeted industry education opportunities and quality networking events round out the ICUEE experience.
New in 2017, Field Classrooms will provide an overview on topics geared for those new to the industry. Ten 90-minute sessions will focus on horizontal directional drilling, vacuum excavation, aerial devices, fleet management, and high-voltage transmission technologies.
ICUEE has embraced the digital age, providing an online exhibitor directory with floor plans that is searchable by company name, type of product or market area, booth number and location on the show floor, and includes a new products and technologies preview section.
Attendees can preplan their ICUEE schedule using the online show planner and the ICUEE mobile app to create a personalized agenda of exhibits, education sessions and networking meetings. The mobile app will continuously synch to the show planner agenda, and attendees can receive show updates to further maximize their time onsite. Attendees can also play the ICUEE mobile app game for a chance to win prizes in daily and grand-prize drawings.
Comments