How ConExpo-Con/Agg compares in size to Bauma

Massive crowds flock to Bauma once every three years in Germany. Photo: Messe München

ConExpo-Con/Agg is undoubtedly big.

Some exhibitors and attendees have commented over the years that it’s gotten too big, with a show footprint spanning more than 2.7 million sq. ft. the last time around.

ConExpo-Con/Agg veterans sometimes joke about “wearing comfortable shoes” to first-timers – and they’re right, you should. But a walk through ConExpo-Con/Agg is arguably a walk in the park compared to Bauma, another trade show occurring once every three years that came to an end last month.

According to Messe München, the host of Bauma, its 2022 trade show in Munich spanned roughly 6.6 million sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor exhibit space – more than double the size of the U.S. show hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Bauma 2022’s attendance was significant, as well, with more than 495,000 people on-site. The last ConExpo-Con/Agg, while impacted tremendously by COVID, had more than 130,000 “registrants.” The ConExpo-Con/Agg before last (2017) drew a reported 128,000 attendees.

ConExpo-Con/Agg 2023, which takes place March 14-18 in Las Vegas, should look and feel more like the 2017 rendition of the show. Exhibitors are certainly counting on that.

“The fact that 2023 is a ConExpo-Con/Agg year and we expect to see funds from the [Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act] finally reach the community level are added reasons for optimism,” says Dave Stewart, director of marketing at Screen Machine Industries.

And while ConExpo-Con/Agg is no Bauma, it, too, has made its own mark on the global stage. Twenty-six thousand international attendees from 150 countries made the trip to ConExpo-Con/Agg in 2017, proving that North America’s largest construction trade show is renowned around the world.

Managing editor Jack Kopanski contributed to this article.