Inaugural Military Vehicles Exhibition & Conference Opens to Heavy Traffic & Rave Reviews

DETROIT--More than 3,600 industry professionals were in attendance at IDGA Exhibitions’ Inaugural Military Vehicles Exhibition & Conference. New business potential, strong leads and quality networking opportunities were just some of the benefits that both exhibiting companies and attendees enjoyed.

(Editors Note: High resolution images are available by request or ftp download. Please email alison.sperling@idga.org)

“In today’s challenging economic climate, we were especially pleased with the feedback we received from exhibitors and attendees alike,” said Michael Gallo, Managing Director, IDGA Exhibitions. “Exhibitors were happy with the quality of attendees that were walking the show floor as indicated by the brisk activity in the exhibitor re-sign area. Attendees were pleased with the timely topics of the educational conference, including updates on Strategy and Procurement of Vehicles, Tactical Systems Sustainment, and the Future of Marine Corps LAV. The Show Floor Theatre hosted ten presentations with the most popular drawing a standing-room-only crowd from Thomas H. Miller, Program Manager MTVR/LVSR PEO, Land Systems (USMC) speaking on PEO Update on Light and Medium Vehicles. The topics and education presented struck a chord with attendees seeking new strategies for success in today’s marketplace.”

The 2009 Military Vehicles Exhibition Floor featured 215 exhibiting companies in more than 200 booths. The exhibition floor featured hands-on displays with 10 military vehicles, including Force Protection’s Cougar IS and the US Marine Corps LAV from USMC Program Manager’s Office – Light Armored Vehicle at TACOM.

“We were quite impressed with the number and quality of the exhibition attendees. We already signed up for next year,” said Joe Burchill of Link Engineering. Further, Ed Blades, President, Blades Enterprises, raved “This is the best show I’ve exhibited at in 15 years for quality and quantity of attendance.”

Among the highlights from The Show Floor Theatre was the Warfighter Panel, which brought together warfighters who have recently returned from theater in Iraq and Afghanistan. Participants included: USMC’s SSG Ed Espoti, SGT Rick Zapella and US Army’s 1LT Sean Pillai.

The Military Vehicles VIP Club hosted more than 250 members, including qualified buyers from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Military Programs. VIP Club members enjoyed an exclusive VIP Club Lounge catered with food and beverages and an extended cocktail reception. The VIP Club Lounge also served as a quiet meeting area for members to conduct business transactions with the exhibiting companies.

Attendees echoed exhibitors’ support of the event. “Overall, I enjoyed the show very much. Some of the conference discussions were timely and offered us some insight in to the future of military vehicles. The supplier displays were well laid out and representatives were very knowledgeable,” said Brett M. Swiss, Engineering Manager, BAE Systems Inc., Land & Armaments Group, Global Tactical Systems.

“The available information and networking created some possible opportunities with three new companies that had displays showing similar tooling and manufacturing applications that we support. Our employees also bumped into some of our existing customers that we haven’t talked to in the past couple of months so it brought us up to speed on some other work coming down the pipeline. The Expo was definitely worth the time spent,” said Craig Blust, Vice President, Metro Technologies Ltd.

IDGA Exhibitions Military Vehicles Exhibition & Conference will return to Detroit’s Cobo Convention Center in August 2010. For information on sponsoring, exhibiting, presenting or attending, please contact Alison Sperling at alison.sperling@idga.org or call 646-502-3264. View more details online at: www.militaryvehiclesexpo.com

About IDGA

Institute for Defense & Government Advancement (IDGA) is a non-partisan information-based organization dedicated to the promotion of innovative ideas in public service and defense. We bring together speaker panels comprised of military and government professionals while attracting delegates with decision-making power from military, government and defense industries.