
Of the many tradeshows, conferences, and conventions for the construction industry—one stands out designed for the general equipment and tool rental businesses. The American Rental Association (ARA) calls its annual trade show a “can’t miss event for those looking to discover what’s next in rental.” It’s the world’s largest tradeshow specific to the rental industry.
However, the association has planned a few twists this year. One, they shifted toward a mid-to end of week schedule, placing education on Wednesday and the tradeshow portion Thursday to Saturday. This was to better accommodate current and prospective members as they plan for the year ahead. The ARA Show 2025 will be located in Las Vegas, January 30-February 1, with "The Future of Equipment Rental" educational sessions starting January 28.
The 2025 show will mark its return to Las Vegas since 2021. Mainstays are their educational offerings, networking opportunities, and the tradeshow floor. This year will feature 39 hours of education this year with 19 1/2 hours open for attendees to walk the tradeshow floor. At present, they have 600+ exhibitors with over 50 new companies.
Even though they’ve been to the city, new this year is the location. The show is being held within the Las Vegas Convention Center West hall plus exhibits outside in the Diamond lot for demos and stage presentations.
Taking advantage of the space now available to them, the ARA returned a number of features and added a couple of fun moments. The ARA Show will be bringing back town halls—one on events, the other on equipment, both held on the stage outside. You’ll also find cornhole, food trucks, a beer garden, and even pickleball.
“We’re doing everything we can to make an extension of the tradeshow floor,” says Hammes. “To make it fun. A place to rest. Grab some food but also see the exhibits outside. Another big change is what we would call our Tuesday Night event – that’s going to be on Thursday, the first day of the show.” Free for exhibitors and attendees, the Vegas-themed “Thursday” night event will be held onsite in the lobby of the West hall and in the outside lot. Hosting this on the first day opens up a night for manufacturers and members - allowing everyone to enjoy the area how they would like.
“We’ve tried to be very intentional with our planning,” says Hammes. “It’s that blend of trying to keep the things that members like but also trying to understand that they’re taking the time…from the topics we chose and trying to have something to offer everybody at every trajectory in their career – whether you’re starting or you’re new – we’re trying to focus in on that attendee experience so it’s not just coming to another show in Vegas.”
Unique from many other equipment tradeshows, ARA is closed. Everyone inside will be specific to rental. Whether you’re looking for a new asset to add to your fleet, a new supplier, or just looking to network, the show features “like” people – everybody is within the industry. “Even though buying patterns have changed, it’s still a buying show,” says Hammes. “We still have over 300 suppliers who are offering a show-only special – I think that still makes the show unique.”
Providing keynote is David Pogue (Jan. 30). A technology expert, Pogue is a New York Times bestselling author of “Pogue’s Basics” – a series of tips and shortcuts regarding technology in a person’s life. He has also authored several books in the “For Dummies” and “Missing Manual” series of books. He has been at the forefront of new and emerging trends for decades. Attendees should be informed about the state of science and technology today and how it’s shaping the future.
The Future of Equipment Rental
Is it safe to say that construction equipment has changed significantly in the last few decades? As modern challenges push the continued adoption of more technology onto the construction jobsite, equipment responds in kind. These changes also affect the rental industry. Held in the West Hall on the second level will be “The Future of Equipment Rental”.
John Jeanguenat considers what the industry might look like five years from now. “It is going to change a lot,” he says. “It needs to evolve to continue to meet the demands of customers that are seeing changes in their business, seeing changes in the construction industry, in the way that we utilize equipment to deal with other challenges that we face as contractors and do-it-yourselfers.”
Jeanguenat has previously served as president at Rental Max in the Chicago area for the general equipment and tool business covering Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. He’s sat on the ARA board of directors for three years and officially joined the ARA in September 2024 as the Vice President for the Equipment Segment.
Though things change, what matters now is what you can do today, this year to stay on the right path. The Future of Equipment event for the show focuses on that directly: what business will look like and what customers are going to demand. “What we see happening five years from now that’s going to influence what action we take and how we invest in new technologies in 2025,” says Jeanguenat.
The program includes:
- Keynote speaker April Rinne, author and leader in having a “flux” mindset. Her book FLUX discusses “essential disciplines and practices” as superpowers to adjust and deal with change
- Hands-on workshop to help attendees better understand the impact of AI, what it means, and how to take something tangibly away to apply it to the rental business
- Attend a TEDx-style panel featuring contractors of different sizes to provide different perspectives about their needs, technology investments, perspectives on key issues that impact equipment rental, and more
- Networking in the cocktail reception to interact with speakers
Workforce development is also another challenge the association has placed effort in addressing. In response, the show includes a student day to share at the highest level what the industry is. The show is planning on bringing in students in the market for jobs and looking to apply to have a hiring event. “For me, when you talk about the future of equipment rental, the people are such a big part of that,” says Jeanguenat.
The ARA Show returns to Orlando in 2026, March 1-4 in the Orange County Convention Center.