In an economic environment of doubt about the future, the 2010 METALCON International was a beacon of opportunity for all involved. The 2010 show themed “Focus Forward” was held October 20 through October 22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The event marked 20 years of achievement in setting the pace for the future of building with metal, with its unbeatable blend of new product exhibits, an education conference, and live-action demos of the latest techniques for roofing, wall, architectural and structural applications. There were more than 5,000 attendees and 300 exhibiting companies.
Show Director Claire Kilcoyne, who has guided the show’s success since it began in 1991, sees this year’s results as an upward trend. “The number of visitors was about 200 more than the 2009 show in Tampa, but the buying power was higher than ever. The positive response from exhibitors was evident in the number of companies who signed up for 2011. We’re thrilled to have 87 percent of the 2010 exhibitors booked for next year’s show in Atlanta.”
METALCON was a particularly rewarding experience for the 46 companies who were exhibiting for the first time at this international event such as Brian Nelson of Knight Wall Systems, Deer Park, Wash. “We had great traffic. There was a large diversity of people, including architects, contractors, engineers and manufacturers. We even had an architect drop off some drawings so we could bid on a job for him.”
Experienced METALCON exhibitors were also very positive about this event. Bill Coleman, vice president of sales for MBCI, Houston, was very pleased with the response. “Our leads from this show surpassed last year’s and the level of interest was much higher than before.” MBCI is one of the 25 companies that have consistently exhibited in METALCON since it began 20 years ago.
For more information about exhibiting or attending METALCON, visit metalcon.com, or call 800-537-7765 or 617-965-0055.
