by Leslie Mujica, Exhibit City News
The main mission of the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo is to advance decarbonization efforts in the transportation sector by facilitating the flow of information, latest technologies, services, and vehicles leading the transition to low and zero-emissions. Uniting all stakeholders, showcasing new products, providing access to vital industry announcements, and networking opportunities, ACT was an impressive showcase.
Most of the attendees I spoke with whom attended ACT 2023 in Anaheim shared that they were very excited that ACT decided to bring the show to Las Vegas in 2024. While on the show floor this year I spoke to many about their impressions of the Las Vegas show. One exhibitor shared his impression of the turnout stating that ACT’s commitment to a bigger footprint in Las Vegas, including the theater of the West Hall, successfully elevated the event as a whole.
Richard Trent, Director of Sales at NeXE, a TECO Westinghouse company, shared that he did notice a difference between Anaheim and Las Vegas in respect to size and more people in attendance at the former venue. He said, “Anaheim was twice as big as this one, but it felt as if there was less quality in terms of connections because the sheer quantity. Here we’ve gotten better quality connections, there might be less people but the people here are decision makers.” He said he loved going to the Art District in Vegas, meeting locals, and experiencing what the city has to offer beyond what initially comes to mind when people think of Las Vegas.
At the show, the CEO of WATT EV, Salim Youssefzadeh, made a major announcement: the WATT EV fleet size is set to increase to 180 trucks, making WATT EV the largest electric fleet operator in the US. He also shared that a lot of the discussions at ACT this year were about infrastructure and the challenges around it. He reminded attendees, “We’ve got this. We have more sites operational than anybody else, making infrastructure no longer an issue.”
While ACT occurred in the West Hall, ICSC was held in the South Hall. The cross over between the two events created a great opportunity for companies and organizations to do business in both worlds. For example, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) had a presence at both shows, promoting their specialized training and skills, and expertise in both the commercial real estate and property management markets and, the clean transportation and infrastructure industry.
Much of the feedback of the event being held in Las Vegas was positive when compared to the two previous venues. Attendees and exhibitors commented on the traffic being easier to manage than other locations and that the proximity between the airport, hotels, food, entertainment, and show floor were a bonus. I heard some disappointment about the show going back to Anaheim next year. They were hopeful the show makes its way back to Las Vegas.
This story originally appeared in the Q3 2024 issue of Exhibit City News, p. 88. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/ecn_q3_2024.
