David J Babb
The 2019 International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition will again cover 28 acres of exhibition space, both indoors and outdoors.Photo: Association of Equipment Manufacturers
The International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition returns to Louisville, Ky., Oct. 1-3.
The biennial show — known by its acronym ICUEE and also as The Demo Expo — promises “an expanded roster of show-floor field classrooms and new eat-and-learn workshops,” said a news release from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, which owns and produces the event.
Dozens of manufacturers of service trucks and their accessories will be among the more than 900 exhibitors at ICUEE. They include service body makers like Auto Crane, Palfinger Inc., Maintainer Corporation of Iowa Inc., the Knapheide Manufacturing Company, Reading Truck Group, and Stellar Industries Inc., as well as accessory makers such as Boss Industries Inc., Coxreels, Fabco Power Inc., Hannay Reels Inc., Hippo Multipower, Reelcraft Industries Inc., Sage Oil Vac Inc., Taylor Pump & Lift, Vanair Manufacturing Inc., Venco Venturo Industries LLC, and VMAC.
About 18,000 people attended the 2017 show, slightly fewer than the record attendance of the 2015 version. They came from all 50 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces, and about 50 other countries.
ICUEE public relations manager Pat Monroe said about the same numbers are expected this time around.
“Registrations are starting to come in,” she said in mid July. “So it’s a little early for us to be saying what it might be. And we usually don’t say that until we get on site. But it’s looking to be a great show and there’s a lot of stuff going on.”
U for “utility”
For 2019, ICUEE again happens at the Kentucky Exposition Center, with the show itself covering more than 28 acres of exhibition space, indoors and outdoors. The wide array of machinery — which includes excavators, digger derricks, cranes, maintenance and material handling equipment, and service trucks — “is exhibited in job-like conditions and attendees can experience first-hand equipment in action, working at ground level, underground, and overhead,” notes an ICUEE fact sheet. It’s the interactive demonstrations that give the show the moniker, The Demo Expo.
New this year is a demo area for UTVs, utility task vehicles, which will give attendees a chance to compare various UTV models.
The U in ICUEE stands for “utility,” meaning the target audience consists of providers of “electric, telecommunications/cable, natural gas, water, and wastewater services as well as the contractors who provide utilities with infrastructure engineering and construction services,” the fact sheet points out.
New to the 2019 show are disaster-readiness simulation labs and “eat and learn workshops,” as well as more of the field classrooms — “walking” classrooms on the trade show floor — that were introduced at the 2017 show.
“ICUEE education sessions are a great way to conveniently ramp up the knowledge of your team,” show director John Rozum said in a news release. “We’ve developed relevant programs and gathered leading experts to help you and your team stay informed and up to speed on the latest industry developments.”
Those participating in the education sessions can earn credit for professional development hours. The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators will promote crane safety and benefits of NCCCO crane and rigger certification throughout the show.
Test a service crane
“Qualified attendees will have an opportunity to try their hands on the controls of a service truck crane courtesy of Liftmoore Truck Cranes and to test their skills on an NCCCO practical exam course,” notes a recent news release on the NCCCO website.
Field classroom topics include “Toolbox/Tailgate Talks” led by safety trainer Abby Ferri; “Equipment Hydraulics,” led by Cliff Anderson, a training project manager at Almon Inc.; and “Fleet Management Overview,” conducted by Dan Samford, president of Peak Performance Asset Services LLC. Samford led a field classroom on that subject at the 2017 show.
The new one-hour disaster simulation labs take place Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 2:30 p.m., and Wednesday, Oct., at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Leading those workshops will be Desi Matel-Anderson, the first and former chief innovation officer with FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Among other things, the workshop will show how to plan, develop, and implement a utility/heavy equipment emergency simulation, notes a course description on the ICUEE website.
The new eat and learn workshops meanwhile happen on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at lunch, and Wednesday, Oct. 2, at breakfast and/or lunch. They feature such topics as a panel on the effective application of drones in the utility industry, a business model for building and maintaining a smart utility infrastructure, and a workshop on successfully recruiting and retaining all generations of the workforce.
Growing concern
For the most part, exhibitors at ICUEE 2017 sounded satisfied with how the show turned out two years ago.
“It’s been real busy,” Cory Kats, a sales manager for the midwest U.S. with Service Trucks International, told Service Truck Magazine at the time. “We have some vendors that actually help us out and supply a lot of our stuff and we see a lot of customers here.”
Bob Fury, president and founder of Fabco Power, Fury has been coming to ICUEE for about a quarter century, since the days it was held in Kansas City, where it took place from 1979 to 1985.
“It’s gotten bigger and better and it’s still growing,” said Fury, whose Chester, N.Y. company manufactures hydraulically powered air compressors. “It’s a good show.”
ICUEE traces its history back to 1964 when the field demonstration concept was developed “to help solve an equipment evaluation and communications problem,” says the show’s fact sheet. “Illinois Bell invited 12 trencher manufacturers to demonstrate equipment in the same field, on the same day in the summer of 1966.”
The forerunner of ICUEE was known as the “Elburn show,” Monroe said by email. A professional management firm took over the show in 1978. Since 1987, the show has taken place in Louisville. The AEM, which had previously provided industry director, became the show’s owner and producer in the 1980s.
Music and bourbon
Other highlights of ICUEE 2019 include ICUEE Live! at Louisville’s Fourth Street Live! downtown entertainment destination. A new event, it happens 7-11 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and features music by two bands, the Louisville Crashers, and Soul Circus. The following day, from 2 to 2:30 p.m., ICUEE hosts the return of its Bourbon, Beer & Bites reception — featuring samples from local distilleries and breweries — in the North Lobby at the convention center.
The day before ICUEE 2019 kicks off, the inaugural Diesel Progress Summit takes place Sept. 30 at the Omni Louisville Hotel. Presented by Diesel Progress publisher KHL Group, the summit targets senior managers, design engineers and supply chain professionals at original equipment manufacturers and powertrain suppliers, as well as managers of large equipment fleets.
The event features a dozen speakers and panelists. They include keynote speakers Jennifer Rumsey, vice-president and chief technical officer for Cummins Inc., and Ramin Younessi, group president of construction industries for Caterpillar Inc.
Topics include market forecasts on switching from diesel to electric, electrification and hybrid powertrains, and off-road implementation of electric vehicles.
For more information on the summit, visit www.dieselprogresssummit.com.
For more about ICUEE, visit www.icuee.com.