World Ag Expo 2009: A Bright Spot in the Ag Economy
For the three days of World Ag Expo, the agricultural economy was a bit brighter, thanks to innovative money-saving technology, crowds of buyers and much-needed rain.
The 42nd edition of World Ag Expo featured a wealth of new products designed to help the farmer, dairyman and rancher operate more efficiently and more profitably – and use less water.
“Our exhibitors were pleasantly surprised by the number of attendees and how qualified they are,” said volunteer chairman Paul Simon. “The buyers are doing their research and demanding a great product at a reasonable price – but they are buying.”
First-time exhibitor Mike Nichols, of A & D Automatic Gate, had already sold four of his units by mid-morning on day two of the three-day expo.
“We came here with the intention of wholesaling our product, but we are selling directly, so we’re doing really well,” Nichols said. “The foot traffic is fantastic. Almost everybody who walks by stops to look. It’s definitely a qualified crowd.”
Australian exhibitor Fodder Solutions has attracted the attention of potential dealers and distributors from Canada, Brazil, Germany and Iran, as well as California and the Midwest, New York and Florida.
“I had people here until 5:45 on Tuesday evening, even though the show closed at 5,” recalled Terry Colless of Fodder Solutions. “They would not go home!”
The Top 10 New Products and the Top 5 New Dairy Products received honors and publicity for months leading up to expo. The result was invaluable exposure and sales.
For Top 10 winner Aqua-Phyd, the award generated “incredible interest” in his new product and leads from across the U.S., Australia, Mexico, Brazil and Israel. His experience at the show also revealed to him strong interest in a smaller unit, which the company will now look to develop.
Long-time exhibitor Quinn Caterpillar found “good, qualified leads this year, like every year,” according to Kevin Vivian, ag business manager. “We’ve had great customer contacts and good solid people who are looking to buy.”
In addition to innovations in agriculture on display, World Ag Expo unveiled some of its own innovations, including the live web cameras positioned on the show grounds to document the flurry of activity that is World Ag Expo.
“Our exhibitors have to constantly improve and innovate to remain competitive and successful and so do we,” said Steven Knudsen, Director of Communications for the International Agri-Center, the non-profit organization that produces World Ag Expo.
Worldagexpo.com continues to prove to be an essential resource for exhibitors and attendees, allowing attendees to research exhibitors and map their route to maximize time on the 2.6 million-square-foot show grounds.
The website has drawn nearly 300,000 page views since its launch in November and 82,000 unique visits. Visitors to the site came from 146 countries or territories, ranging from Canada to China to Italy.
The 2010 edition of World Ag Expo, February 9-11, will recognize WAE as “Powering Global Agriculture,” under the leadership of chairman Bernie Cargle. For information, visit worldagexpo.com or call 800-999-9186.
Photo captions:
Aerial: With over 2.6 million square feet of show grounds, visitors to this year’s World Ag Expo had ample area to visit and explore a number of new and returning exhibits at the 2009 show.
People: Over 100,000 individuals from 146 countries visited this year’s World Ag Expo.
Go back to the articles page
