FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — The Work Truck Show2005 and 41st Annual National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Convention reportedly broke all previous attendance records this year with 7,148 vocational fleet managers, maintenance personnel, equipment distributors and others in attendance. More than 460 industry suppliers participated in the shows as well.
Produced by the NTEA and supported by 18 other organizations, The Work Truck Show is an annual trade show attended by manufacturers, distributors, fleet managers and end-users of all varieties of vocational work trucks and equipment in industries as diverse as construction, landscaping, utility and government services. On a show floor covering 350,000 square feet, Work Truck Show 2005 attendees checked out the latest full-size work trucks and equipment from leading manufacturers and examined individual components from hundreds of suppliers.
More than 30 training sessions were offered along with the latest developments in commercial trucks and transportation equipment from Classes 1 through 8 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis (March 2-4, 2005).
“The event was a major success on all levels,” said Mike Frizzell, NTEA president and president of Royal Truck Body – River City in Sacramento, Calif. “The robust health of our industry was reflected not only in attendance, but also in the more than 80 new products and innovations introduced at the show.”
Attendees were invited to cast their ballots for the second annual Work Truck Show New Product Innovation Award. By popular vote, A.L. Hansen Manufacturing Co. of Waukegan, Ill., was recognized for its Jet Rack ladder racking system. New for 2005, the Work Truck Show Editors’ Choice Award resulted in a tie between Crysteel Manufacturing Inc. (Lake Crystel, Minn.) and Rostra Precision Controls (Lauringburg, NC) for Crysteel’s ProMax Super Dump and Rostra’s Rearsight/Passive Rear Camera System.
Attesting to the recent strong growth in the market, 81 companies were first-time Work Truck Show exhibitors in 2005. “While we maintain a solid base of exhibitors that have gotten excellent results from the show year after year, we are also attracting a growing number of companies that recognize the unique opportunities The Work Truck Show offers to reach a wide range of high-ranking decision-makers in the industry,” said Jim Carney, NTEA executive director.
Next year’s event will be help in Atlanta, Ga., and will feature increased floor space for exhibitors. Part of the growing demand for floor space comes from new exhibitors.
“We strongly expect that next year’s event in Atlanta, GA, will be even more successful,” said Robert Green, 2006 Convention Chairman and president of Robert Green Truck Div., Inc. (Rock Hill, NY). “In fact, to accommodate requests for exhibit space, we recently significantly increased floor space for The Work Truck Show 2006.”
The Work Truck Show 2006 and 42nd Annual NTEA Convention will be held March 1-3, 2006 (Convention and educational conference begins Feb. 28) at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. Registration for The Work Truck Show 2006 opens in October 2005.
For more information about the NTEA, visit: www.ntea.com.
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