March 9, 2006 — The American Rental Association, Moline, Ill., and The Rental Show recently celebrated 50th anniversaries Feb. 6-9 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. A total of 12,600 industry professionals — 6,490 rental attendees, representing 2,870 rental businesses from the United States, Canada, and more than 50 countries (plus 6,110 exhibitor personnel) traveled to Orlando for this year's show. These figures make 2006 the third highest in ARA history for rental businesses attending, while the 1998 and 2001 shows, also held in Orlando, rank first and second.
“Everyone's expectations • rental businesses, exhibitors, trade press • were extremely high for our 50th Anniversary celebration,” said Allison Box, ARA's vice president of association services. “The Rental Show exceeded those expectations, particularly in terms of first-rate exhibits, active buyers on the show floor, quality seminars, and exciting events.”
From the pre-show educational workshops, to the 50th Anniversary celebration events, to the packed exhibit floor, to the grand finale • the giveaway of a $42,000 Ford F-250 pickup truck (which went to Rental City, Champaign, Ill., a 42-year ARA member) • attendees were enthused about the future of the rental equipment industry and ARA.
According to David Navroth, director of sales for Little Wonder of Southhampton, Pa., a 47-year exhibitor, “The Rental Show was a huge success for Schiller-Pfeiffer, for all of our brands, including Mantis, Little Wonder & Classen, and our products. The final tallies aren't in just yet; on the conservative end, we at least doubled our sales from the 2005 show.”
The next Rental Show is scheduled for Feb. 7-10, 2007, in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center.
