The Windy City provided the backdrop for the third consecutive year for the Chicago Construction Expo Jan. 7 and 8. The event featured hockey great Denis Savard and a host of free LICA-sponsored seminars, which complemented the showcase of the latest models from all of the major manufacturers at the Renaissance Convention Center in Schaumburg, Ill.

Hundreds of new and repeat visitors, as well as first time and veteran exhibitors enjoyed the two days of meeting up, exchanging numbers, marketing sales and seminars.

Dave Webb, marketing manager of WellBuilt Equipment, met plenty of attendees and showed off his array of RT scissor lifts, DC articulating, DC scissor lifts, telescopic booms and RT forklifts.

“The Expo went really well for us. We sold a couple pieces of equipment and paid for our booth,” Webb said. “I would suggest the show to other people, definitely.”

Attendees also had chances to win a number of giveaway prizes throughout the event including hats, jackets, free Internet advertising and more.

During the Expo, hockey fans lined up for autographs and a chance to meet Savard, who was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. Savard spent 17 years on the ice, primarily playing for the Blackhawks from 1980 to 1990 and again from 1994 to 1997. In the interim, he played with both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 1993.

New to this year’s Construction Expo were free LICA-sponsored seminars.

“This year’s show was attended by a lot of sincere, hard-working contractors looking to improve their businesses and their knowledge,” said Jerry Biuso of LICA. “The seminars that we ran were, in my evaluation, a tremendous success and will continue to grow in the future. The educational level that the contractors took away from the seminars is something they can use for a long time. I look forward to building the seminar structure in Chicago. It was very successful for us. We will definitely be a part of next year’s show. ”

Tom Woodcock, president of Seal the Deal, presented “You’re Not Sellin’, They’re Buyin’!” and John Deere’s Mike Boyle, excavator product consultant, and Kent Stickler, pull-type scrapers product consultant, talked about “Paydirt: Mass Excavating Alternatives for Mass Profits.”

Other seminars offered by LICA included “Introduction to Adopting Positioning Technology for Construction” and “Invisible Structures” hosted by Ted Dzierzbicki, Engineered Earth Systems, and “Never Buy Another Oil Sample,” “Is 500 Hours Really Safe,” and “Hoisting the Curtain Off the New Crane Standard.”

The show was produced by the trade show division of Construction Equipment Guide.

For more information on exhibiting at next year’s Chicago Expo, call Bob Buckley at 800/992-7116 or visit www.constructionequipmentguide.com

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