I didn’t intend to walk to a trade show last week. I drove to the Wynn Las Vegas, parked for free, made my way to the bus loading area where I had read that a shuttle bus would take me to the Las Vegas Convention Center for CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE 2023. However, after a rather long walk to the bus area, I was told the last bus for the morning run had just left. The gentleman with that bad news then pointed down the driveway to Sands Ave. “Turn left on Sands and walk to Paradise then turn left again. It’s about a mile.”

Having no choice, and fortunately being dressed perfectly for the weather, I started walking. I had no pedometer so I don’t know if a mile was correct, but I walked and walked, hoping that while on Paradise, that none of the speeding oncoming cars would not veer right onto my sidewalk. Forty I’ve minutes later, having passed one homeless man, one man on an electric scooter with a dog on leash, lots of graffiti, a tire rim, a beautiful hubcap and lots of closer parking spaces than the Wynn, I finally made it to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

CONEXPO-CON/AGG is three construction shows that combined in 1996 and that is when the combined show first came to Las Vegas. The show is owned in partnership with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, (NRMCA,) the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and managed by AEM. The International Fluid Power Exposition (IFPE) was also exhibiting at this show. The show featured 175 educational sessions along with its 2,400 exhibitors from 36 countries. I was able to see some very expensive equipment among the exhibitors and take video, but knowing I would have to walk back to the hotel, I kept my video experience a bit shorter than usual. Final numbers provided by the show management reported 139,000 attendees from 133 countries. And more than 600 media representatives from 33 countries. The next CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE will be held March 3-7, 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

And yes, “missing the bus” was my mistake. Not having the service of my gentleman friend, I had overlooked a little chart with times, though I did see the big chart with the very long list of hotels providing bus transportation to the convention center.

My shortened video is below: