Viva Las Vegas! IFPE Gambling on Record Attendance

By Michael Degan, Editor, Fluid Power Journal.

Next month’s International Fluid Power Exposition is liable to be more crowded than the show three years ago.

IFPE, which runs March 14-18 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and CONEXPO-CON/AGG, which co-locates at the convention center with IFPE, are reportedly on pace to exceed 2020 attendance.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers, producer of CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE, said in a press release that the 2023 event will be the “biggest in history.” The show is “now nearly 5% bigger than the record set in 2020,” AEM said in the press release. 

If IFPE is more crowded this time, a new convenience may make getting around a little easier. A new underground transportation system will move attendees around the Las Vegas Convention Center campus. The Convention Center Loop, designed by Elon Musk’s The Boring Company tunnel construction business, will, free of charge, shuttle attendees around the campus in under two minutes with Tesla vehicles.

Next Level Awards

Attendees can take part in the first-ever Next Level Awards, which celebrate exhibiting companies pushing the boundaries and developing next-level products, technologies, and services designed to advance the construction industry. Ten finalists from among CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE exhibitors will be highlighted at the trade shows. Attendees visit the booths and vote for their favorites.  

The program rewards exhibitors who’ve created products or services for the construction industry that have one or more of the following characteristics:  

• Addresses a common industry need in a unique and innovative way.  
• Benefits the industry across multiple applications for industry wide adoption. 
• Positively impacts the safety, sustainability, and workforce of the industry.  

Education

At IFPE, more than 375 exhibitors showcase the latest innovations in fluid power, power transmission, and motion control. Attendees have access to 170 education sessions and workshops providing professional development hours.

A session Wednesday in IFPE’s Fluid Power Trends and Tech category is Sensors – Data and Performance, led by Carl Dyke, founder of LunchBox Sessions. The seminar explains low- and no-cost ways to improve compressed air efficiency, and strategies available now that use the low capital investment to achieve big gains in efficiency and cost control. Dyke dives deep into sensor technologies, how they work, and their numerous applications. 

On Thursday, you can catch the Future of Off-Highway and On-Highway Autonomy, presented by Peter Bleday, head of the autonomy, incubation division of Danfoss Power Solutions. He poses the question, With autonomous on-highway vehicles seemingly on the brink of becoming commonplace, why not just adopt those systems for off-highway use? To answer, he examines the complexities of developing autonomous equipment and the benefits of autonomous machines.

Sustainability

Many fluid power companies highlight their commitment to sustainability in their products and processes, and rightfully so. It will likely be evident among exhibitors. But AEM, the shows’ producer, wants you to know that they, too, are committed to helping the environment. The shows’ websites note that “CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE are committed to reducing the environmental impact of the show. This includes partnering with vendors that are dedicated to sustainable practices and reducing waste, helping exhibitors choose more sustainable options, and measuring our total 2023 environmental impact to identify future improvements.”

For more information or to register, visit www.ifpe.com.

Our IFPE coverage continues in the March issue of Fluid Power Journal and at www.fluidpowerjournal.com.