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The 2023 Utility Expo, held from Sept. 26-28 in Louisville, Kentucky, set a new attendance record by drawing more than 21,000 utility construction professionals from all 50 states and 60 countries.
That’s 5,000 more than the 16,000 who attended the previous edition in 2021, a jump of about 31%.
They came to experience first-hand the newest equipment and technologies available to improve productivity, efficiency, and safety in the utility industry.
Held every second year, the Utility Expo is the third-largest trade show in North America, and the largest event for utility professionals and construction contractors seeking comprehensive insights into the latest industry technologies, innovations, and trends.
This year’s show drew more than 900 exhibitors, whose displays covered a record 1.5 million net square feet. That’s about 34.4 acres, or about 6% more than in 2021.
Many of the exhibits featured the show’s signature interactive product demonstrations.
“Our goal is to bring utility pros together with exhibitors and equipment manufacturers to advance the utility industry and showcase how the equipment, products and technologies help keep our communities working and thriving,” said John Rozum, the show’s director.
Jim Glazer, the show’s chairperson and president of Elliott Equipment Company, agreed. “The Utility Expo is always a tremendous opportunity to make lasting industry connections and take advantage of education that helps participants continue to grow and stay competitive,” he said. “At Eliott, we look forward to this important event where we can show the industry our equipment and products.”
Educational Opportunities
The Utility Expo is also renowned for offering valuable insights into the latest trends, innovations, and best practices related to utility construction and maintenance.
This year’s educational lineup delivered a mix of field classrooms, educational workshops, and free sessions talking about everything from new technologies, to traffic safety, underground utility locating, as well as sessions where participants could earn professional development hours.
Their formats included peer-to-peer demos, professional instruction, and free drop-in sessions.
Crane-Related Exhibitors
While the expo isn’t a huge show for the crane industry overall, many manufacturers of boom truck, telescopic-boom crawler, knuckleboom, and truck-mounted mechanic’s service cranes exhibit there.
The show also attracts nearly a hundred suppliers of crane-related products that range from tires and lubrication systems, to remote controls, load-moment indicators, operator training services, outrigger pads, and rope.
Many of them were listed in Crane Hot Line’s show preview article, which started on page 38 of the September edition.
The next page recaps what some of the crane manufacturers and selected related companies featured at the event.
The next Utility Expo will be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center from Oct. 7-9, 2025. For more information, visit www.theutilityexpo.com.
