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CONEXPO History:
Through the Decades
Before films had sound, before traffic lights existed, before stainless steel was even invented, the first CONEXPO, known then as the Road Show, was held, marking a new era in construction.
The Beginning
The first CONEXPO, known then as the Road Show, was held in Columbus, Ohio, in 1909. To put it in context: that was the same year Theodore Roosevelt left office, the Orville brothers sold the world’s first military plane, and Albert Einstein worked on theoretical physics.
Modern construction as we know it was in its infancy. Year after year, decade after decade, the Road Show continued to expand, revolutionizing the construction industry. And Caterpillar grew right alongside the show.
In 1926, the newly formed Caterpillar Tractor Company exhibited for the first time, along with 295 equipment manufacturers in Chicago’s famous Coliseum.
Very Rare: This is the only photo of the Cat® exhibit at the 1926 Road Show and the only known photo that features all five tractors in the company’s first product line together
The Interstate Era
In 1957, the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association took over the Road Show, which continued to evolve into what we now know as CONEXPO/CON-AGG. Caterpillar had the largest exhibit and it included nine track-type tractors, six-rubber tired tractors, three traxcavators, two motor graders, 10 engines and a variety of attachments.
The show had new reach: global. Cat customers came from around 20 different countries – including Japan, Belgium, Haiti, France, Sweden, Chile and the West Indies.
CONEXPO ca. 1969
CONEXPO ca. 1969
CONEXPO ca. 1969
CONEXPO ca. 1969
CONEXPO ca. 1969
CONEXPO ca. 1969
CONEXPO ca. 1969
CONEXPO ca. 1969
CONEXPO ca. 1969
Viva Las Vegas
In the 1970s, a new trade show, Concrete and Aggregates Show (Con/Agg), gained a following. The two shows combined for the first ever CONEXPO-CON/AGG held in 1996 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the show’s lasting home and the place where now nearly 150,000 people attend CONEXPO-CON/AGG every three years.
TODAY & ONWARD
Now, 114 years later, CONEXPO-CON/AGG remains the place to be to uncover the latest and greatest in construction machines and products. Ninety-seven years since the first Cat exhibit, Caterpillar is pulling out all the stops to create an outdoor show experience that is demonstrating the full power and capacity of the Cat line-up. Don’t miss a moment. This will be an experience that makes CONEXPO history.
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Roll with us at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023
Step into the spotlight at Cat Stadium. New products, technologies and tools are waiting for you at CONEXPO-CON/AGG-2023.
