After several years of disrupted scheduling due to the pandemic, the American Rental Association (ARA) Show is back in action and will take on Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 11-15.
This year’s show will kick off with educational sessions Feb. 11-12, followed up by ample networking opportunities and chances to see new equipment and technology on the trade show floor Feb. 13-15.
“We have always considered the ARA Show as our Super Bowl, but this year it’ll literally be in Orlando for Super Bowl Sunday,” says Christine Hammes, ARA’s vice president, association services and events. “This is really the place where all our members come together, and our objective is for them to leave the show with more tools in their skillset toolbox than when they came.”
Hammes; Josh Nickell, vice president of the equipment segment, ARA; James Auerbach, vice president of the event segment and rental industry workforce development, ARA; and Bridget Otten, director of meetings and events, ARA, discuss what this year’s show will entail and how attendees can come away with a winning experience.
Show Time Projection
With dozens of educational sessions, 2.5 days of trade show floor time, keynote speaker Daymond John, CEO and founder of Fubu, and several networking occasions to boot, ARA Show attendees can expect familiar attributes of past shows, along with some new offerings, according to Hammes.
“Our goal is to provide an enhanced experience of the traditional offerings that members have told us they like as well as some new opportunities,” Hammes says.
New to this year’s show are two member-only education programs (EventsU and The Future of Equipment Rental), a welcome reception on Monday where members can meet in smaller groups with people within their own regions and an increased devotion to sustainability.
“We know trade shows have an impact on the environment, so we're working very closely with our partners and exhibitors to be more efficient,” Hammes says. “We switched to a digital planner this year, and we will have more digital signage. We will also be minimizing the use of carpet where we can and increasing our recycling capabilities. We’re trying to be good stewards and do our part.”
The show will also include ARA Foundation Charity Auction and Reception from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, as well as the ARA Night Event at Universal Studios Orlando from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
A few of additional networking opportunities include the ARA Young Professional Network Reception on Feb. 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Ole Red and the Women in Rental Breakfast on Feb. 14 from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Both events follow up on the Young Professionals’ and Women in Rental events in December 2022.
“Following (the December events), both of these groups have the opportunity to network again,” Otten says. “The YP event will be held at Blake Shelton's Ole Red restaurant. It’s more like tailgate, so attendees can watch the Super Bowl, and there will be a really fun interactive DJ. And then this will be our third Women in Rental breakfast. We have a great speaker there as well. She infuses humor with a nice message.”
A full show schedule can be found on the ARA Show’s website, and users can download the app to plan out their visit.
“We know that our members are busy, and their time is valuable. We’re asking them to take some time from their business to come to Orlando to focus on the future of their business,” Hammes says. “Expectations are high, so we know it has to be worth their investment.”
Hammes adds that no matter what attendees’ objectives, there should be something for everything to “take home.”
“Some attendees will be looking to purchase, and others may just be coming for education and networking,” Hammes says. “For a lot of people, it's a combination of both, so our hope is that they gain insights and inspiration, make new connections and come away with those tangible tactics and strategies to implement to move their businesses and their teams forward. We’re doing everything possible to elevate the experience.”
Expand your Skillset
In addition to 16 educational sessions on Sunday in four different tracks that touch on the topics of leadership, workforce well-being, recruiting and retaining Gen Z employees, succession planning and more, Saturday also boasts a whole host of educational opportunities, split into two tracks: EventsU and The Future of Equipment Rental.
A brand-new event, The Future of Equipment Rental will focus on rental equipment companies and will feature contractor panels, rental panels, speakers, technologists, networking opportunities and more.
“So many times, we talk to members as one group, but the future of construction jobs is very different from the future of event rental,” Nickell says. “So, we wanted an event that was specifically for equipment rental companies to get down and into the nitty gritty of where their specific part of the industry was going. It will be an interesting view into the jobsite and equipment rental segment five years from now so that we can start moving members toward that."
At the time of publication, the ARA is expecting around 200 to 300 to take part in the event, which has been in the works for some time.
“We had a committee of members meet about how we could improve the industry’s adoption of technology and move forward faster,” Nickell says. “So, our strategic plan is to engage members with technology and find ways to support their growth through that and data and analytics in the same space.”
The morning sessions will be one track including the keynote speakers, Dale Asplund from United Rentals and Steve Jones of Dodge Construction Data and Analytics, who will discuss gaining the motivation and education to leap businesses forward.
The afternoon sessions will be split into two tracks: one dealing with fleet management and one dealing with operations.
“When you think of fleet, you think of maintenance, repair technology, electrification, analytics, fleet tracking and those types of things,” Nickell says. “And then on operations, it's more focused on what are you using for enterprise resource planning? How are you reaching your customers? How are you reaching your employees? How are you managing all those operations together? How are you handling your logistics?”
The other Saturday sessions will focus on the event rental space, called EventsU, rebranded from Events and Tents.
“We wanted to change up the education to make it a wider range of topics,” Auerbach says. “This year, we really went all-in on the speakers and the quality of the speakers. We wanted the first EventsU to be something that people would remember for having this tremendous education that appealed to all of their employees, whether they are front of house or operations. So, whether you've got marketing, operations or admin, the goal is to have them find something in each session.”
Sessions will center on efficient warehouse operations, preparedness, customer service culture, event profitability and more. The goal, Auerbach says, is for attendees to take away best practices they can then implement in their businesses.
“If we're just reviewing the same old stuff that they can see anywhere else, it's not really valuable,” Auberbach says. “We wanted to make each one of these sessions have a clear take-home value that attendees could immediately go back and apply to their businesses in a positive way. Based on the show planner, the key takeaways are all right there—we want people to come knowing exactly what they're going to learn about.”
All in all, for all the educational sessions, Nickell advises attendees to come prepared to interact, ask questions and share ideas.
“There’s a lot of magic that happens in the networking and the Q+A sessions,” Nickell says. “There’s going to be Q+A with the speakers, panels and roundtable discussions, where attendees are sitting down with other equipment rental companies and trying to solve each other's problems, talk about some of these things we touch on throughout the day and unpack it so that they actually take some of it home and implement it.”
Set a Strategy
Perhaps the most important thing attendees can do—aside from wearing comfortable shoes, of course—is to set a game plan for the duration of the show.
“There is a lot to see and do, so it's best to know what you want to accomplish,” Hammes says. “I highly encourage reading the planner and visiting the website and doing research ahead of time but also making sure attendees build in time for some networking and fun. They should really immerse themselves while they're there and participate in as many activities and sessions as they can and go beyond their comfort zone and seek out new people."
Hammes also recommends attendees follow the ARA on social media channels (see sidebar) for updates and those looking to purchase equipment to come with their shopping list and research the vendors who carry those products ahead of time.
“Familiarize yourself with a map of the show floor before it opens,” Hammes says, adding that it can be found on the ARA website and on the app. “Everyone has a different method to their madness. Some people like to go aisle by aisle. Others like to hit their ‘high priority’ booths first and then go back through, but having a plan helps attendees to be successful while they're on-site. Also take the time to check out something new. It might not be something you’re looking for today, but it's always great to stay aware and see what's coming next.”
Nickell encourages attendees to not be overwhelmed by all there is to do at the show.
“There’s a lot to do at the ARA Show,” Nickell says. “Just get it all down in your calendar and lined up because we worked really hard to make sure not too many items overlap. There’s time and space to do everything. You may need a nap when you get home, but take advantage of time with your peers.”
The Game Plan
With so much happening over a few short days, it’s doesn’t hurt to know the game plan in advance. Follow the ARA Show social media handles or follow the link find out what’s happening, where it’s happening and when it’s happening.
Facebook: The ARA Show
LinkedIn: The ARA Show
Twitter: @ARARentalShow
Instagram: ararentalshow
YouTube: @ARARentalShow
