2019 NECA Convention Draws Highest Purchasing Power

As the largest electrical construction marketplace, 94% of attendees reported they were highly likely or likely to purchase a new product or service—jumping from 68% in 2017. This year’s exhibitors cited the trade show’s high traffic and lead value with expanded education.

“Our record attendance and innovative TECHTOPIA Pavilion demonstrate electrical contractors’ increasingly high influence in brand selection and growth outside of traditional electrical work,” said Beth Ellis, NECA’s Executive Director-Convention/Exposition.

According to the 2019 NECA Show attendee survey:

• 94% are highly likely to purchase a new product seen at the show

• 85% are involved in new product or service purchasing decisions

• 32% have a president/owner/CEO title; 17% have a vice president/co-owner title; 17% have an operations/services manager title; 16% have a sales/marketing title

• 93% traditional power and lighting; 93% design/build or design/assist; 63% specify lighting controls

• 97% would recommend the show to a colleague

To help navigate the fast-growing low-voltage market including IoT, LED, POE, 5G and more, NECA 2019 significantly expanded its free trade show education including: new Leadership Workshops, new Technology Systems Integration Workshops, extensive Technical Workshops, a Product Presentation Theater and TECHTOPIA including a Disruptive Technology Pavilion and a Digital Media Lounge.

“The convention offers me a chance to meet my peers, discover new products and services and learn how NECA is helping to grow our industry,” said Seaen Kosmides, CEO, OlympiaTech Electric and a Women in NECA (WIN) Task Force member. “Definitely a must-see event every year!”

2019 award winners and highlights also include:

• 2019 Showstopper Award Winners: ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine’s new product awards

• Women in NECA (WIN) + Future Leaders Roundtable: featuring the latest efforts to battle the skilled workforce shortage encouraging women’s careers from paid electrical apprentices to leadership roles

• Keynote Speakers: Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, Five for Fighting singer and songwriter John Ondrasik and Nicole Malachowski, the first woman Thunderbird pilot

• NECA Gives Back: an inaugural charitable event generating $10,000 in donations and 500 stuffed bags for The Shade Tree, Nevada’s largest shelter for battered women and their children

• TECHTOPIA: digital and disruptive technology including AR/VR, BIM Caves, Microsoft Hololens, IoT, drones, robotics, Pre-Fab and mobile apps

• ELECTRI International/NECA Green Energy Challenge student chapter awards

NECA 2020 will run October 4-6 in Chicago at the McCormick Place Lakeside Center, and is open to all electrical professionals, including nonmembers.

NECA is the voice of the $171 billion electrical construction industry that brings power, light and communication technology to buildings and communities across the United States. NECA’s national office in Bethesda, Md., and 118 local chapters advance the industry through advocacy, education, research and standards development. For more information, go to www.necanet.org.

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