Falls Church, Va. - The first solution center, a revamped new product contest and a busy center stage highlighted the 26th Annual International Irrigation Show in Phoenix.
"The show in Phoenix was a big success," says executive director Tom Kimmell, who announced during the show he is retiring effective 2007. "It was one of our biggest exhibitions ever, and exhibitors told us they were happy with the flow of qualified buyers and decision makers visiting the booths."
The Expo almost sold out. There were close to 350 booths covering nearly four football fields of exhibition space at the Phoenix Civic Plaza Convention Center.
Volunteers constructed an indoor solution center featuring a working center pivot, a working in-ground sprinkler system and an in-ground system built on the surface for demonstrations on the expo floor.
The updated new product contest area provided easy access to the display of 31 entries. The contest, in its third year at the IA show, provides a venue for viewing and displaying products introduced throughout the year. Soleno Textiles won in the agricultural category with its Aquamat flooding mat, and Hunter Industries won in the turf/landscape category with its ACC controller.
Center stage, in its second year, featured a variety of educational and promotional sessions and was a hit with attendees on the exhibition floor.
The technical conference, with the theme "Emerging Irrigation Technology," drew strong attendance and excellent reviews for 63 sessions on a variety of agricultural and turf/landscape topics.
The show drew exhibitors and visitors from countries around the world, including Australia, China, New Zealand, France, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Israel, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Mexico and Spain. Among the international visitors were participants in the International Organization for Standardization subcommittee on irrigation and drainage equipment and systems, which met in conjunction with the show.
The Smart Water Application Technologies meeting drew a big crowd for updates on product testing and promotion of water-saving technology. The group reviewed criteria for adding new product categories to the SWAT program, which currently includes smart controllers and sensors. SWAT is a consortium of water purveyors and irrigation industry leaders working together to test and promote water saving technology.
The 2006 show will be in Nov. 5-7 in San Antonio with IA classes and exams starting Nov. 2.
