Sometimes it pays to take the bus. In the early morning when Nico Marcantonio boarded a bus at his local Bardon Supplies wholesaler in Welland, Ont. to travel to the CMPX Show in Toronto, little did he know that he would come home the owner of a brand new trade van.
But at the end of the show, which took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre March 16-18, the technician with Pac Heating & Air Conditioning, also in Welland, turned out to be the lucky winner of the grand prize draw for a new Chevrolet City Express van outfitted by Farmbro, Mississauga, Ont.
Marcantonio wasn’t the only one smiling and he wasn’t the only one who came on a bus. Various wholesalers sponsored a total of 29 buses – double the number from the previous show in 2014 – that brought contractors and their employees from across Ontario, reported show manager Patrick Shield.
Those added buses were at least partly responsible for an increased registered attendance from 13,592 in 2014 to 14,738 this year. The number of people that identified themselves as plumbing and/or HVAC/R contractors was up from 3364 in 2104 to 3663. The number of consulting engineers doubled from 176 to 380. Student numbers were down due to March Break.
Seminars at the show floor Learning Forum were also well attended, averaging 31 participants with over 50 in some. The early morning keynote sessions averaged about 85 participants.
“I think just about everyone was very happy,” remarked Shield, noting that most of the post-show surveys of exhibitors came back positive.
As always, there are things that will be fine-tuned for the next Canadian Mechanicals and Plumbing Exposition, which is scheduled for March 21-23, 2018. For more information visit www.cmpxshow.ca.