March 14, 2024
This is a glimpse of just one section of the show floor at The ARA Show™ 2024 in New Orleans.
The six-year hiatus from the Big Easy came to an end in February when The ARA Show™ 2024 kicked off at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
The 67th edition of the American Rental Association’s (ARA) premier event — which is the world’s largest equipment and event rental industry-specific convention and trade show — offered attendees plenty of opportunities to network and learn from peers, industry experts and vendors.
Saturday, Feb. 17, featured the return of EventsU, a full-day program designed exclusively for those in event rental with plenty of rental-specific education and networking.
Aurelio Sierra, president, Yennis Party Rentals, Orange, Calif., who serves on the ARA of California board, and his wife, Arlenia, made sure they attended EventsU.
“There is always something to learn. I took a lot of notes from all the sessions,” Sierra says, adding that one which really stood out to him was the presentation, “Revitalize Your Work & Life: Burnout for Event Rental Professionals is Real.”
“It opened up my mind and I was able to bring back some strategies for finding that balance and keeping that energy up at work and at home,” he says.
Steven Herring, All About Events, Paso Robles, Calif., left, joins other rental operators in creating some excitement during EventsU.
The education continued Sunday with presentations delivered by engaging expert speakers and rental industry panel discussions covering tracks grouped into four themes: “Learn & Lead,” “Connect & Collaborate,” “Empower & Engage” and “Plan & Strategize.”
Sierra was right there attending as many sessions as possible. Sessions that stood out to him and his wife were “Financial Decision Making” and “Made for Leaders: Moving in a Direction of Mutual Respect.”
“They were super-interesting. My wife and I learned so much. Again, we took a lot of notes and brought back strategies to implement at our business,” he says.
Michelle Nelson, ECP-ST, president, MK Equipment Corp., Honolulu, who serves as president of the ARA of Hawaii Task Force, and her service manager, Darrell Bantolina, went to “The Secrets of Social Media Success” and “Consumer Behavior in a World of Memes, Gifs and Trends.”
“I didn’t expect to be interested in social media because that is not my strong suit. I kind of leave it up to my younger employees, but I felt empowered after these sessions to go. Even though social media is not in my comfort zone, my customers feel it is important, so I need to learn more. Both sessions were really great. After attending them, I feel more comfortable to post more,” Nelson says.
Region Nine Director Alberto Pianelli, F & B Rentals, Santa Ana, Calif., third from left, joins other rental operators as they listen intently to the Keynote Session.
Then on Monday, the Keynote Session with Jon Taffer of the hit TV show “Bar Rescue” seemed to strike all the right notes.
“I really enjoyed his presentation. This whole approach was that you have to get things done, to make a decision and work with what you have. He talked about turning a bar around in three days. If he can do that, why can’t we make small changes at our operations that will make a difference?” Nelson says.
Nelson admits she has a tendency to overanalyze and overthink a situation. “I felt his whole talk was a reinforcement to me that I needed to get things done. This whole show was about pushing me out of my comfort zone. His presentation helped me to just pull the trigger about things,” she says.
The opening of the trade show on Monday, which featured more than 650 exhibitors, was an impressive sight to behold, attendees say.
“It is always such a ‘wow’ moment when you walk on the trade show floor and see how massive it is. Connecting with vendors and seeing new products is great,” says Kayla Gettys, CERP, sales manager, Encore Events Rentals, Windsor, Calif., who serves on the ARA of California board.
Gettys and her team had specific items they were looking for, including a replacement for one of their china lines. “We found one, loved it and purchased it on the spot. We also were looking at bowls and expanding our linen line. We found some great options and have lots of samples coming,” she says.
Janeth Salazar, Chairs4Events, Redwood City, Calif., left, checks out some of the vendors on the trade show floor.
It also was a buying show for Nelson. “I had a fairly large budget for items this year. Our big items were forklifts and excavators. We also looked at some new things such as concrete buggies. Members of my Peer Advisory Group have talked about those. We also looked at a new high-tech floor scraper. I was so excited to see the show specials that were very beneficial for us,” she says.
Rodney Metcalf, owner, JRM Equipment, San Francisco, bought reach forklifts, scissor lifts and boom lifts.
“We also looked at some smaller equipment that we don’t have right now, such as smaller skid steers, as we are looking at expanding into that market. Right now we have a lot of the larger equipment,” he says.
Sierra also went with a shopping list. “This year we were more focused. We bought racks for glassware, glassware, flatware and plates. We also connected with vendors who displayed new machines to clean our flatware,” he says.
For Metcalf, a real value of the trade show floor is “meeting one-on-one with vendors and seeing products. The show offers the opportunity to see all of that in one location,” he says.
Nelson agrees. “I was able to talk face-to-face with the vendors and ask specific questions. It also was great to see the machines in person. A lot of times when reps come to the islands, they don’t have the equipment with them. Even with a video or phone conversation, it can be difficult to understand the value of a piece of equipment. Seeing the equipment was extremely valuable for me. We walked up and down the show floor on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We actually ran out of time,” she says.
Jared Medaris, CERP, Expo Events, Fresno, Calif., left, and Victor Matta, CERP, Chet’s Rent-All, Warren, Mich., enjoy the ARAPAC Reception.
Many attendees also enjoyed returning show favorites like the Young Professionals Network (YPN) Reception, Regional Receptions, Women in Rental Breakfast, ARAPAC Reception for members of ARA’s political action committee, and the ARA Foundation Charity Auction and Reception.
Gettys took advantage of both the YPN Reception and the Women in Rental Breakfast.
“I love connecting with new people. I had been at the Leadership Conference in October. It was nice to reconnect with some of the people I met at that conference at the YPN Reception. It always is a fun event reconnecting and socializing,” she says.
She had a similar takeaway from the Women in Rental Breakfast, featuring Dr. Michelle Rozen, aka The Change Doctor. “It is always a cool experience to see how many people are there. The energy was great and so was the speaker. Her message of making small, incremental changes that can add up to a big change resonated with me,” Gettys says.
Nelson and Bantolina attended the Women in Rental Breakfast. “We both had fun. I thought the speaker was great. The way she focused on ‘I did this and I know you can too’ was very inspiring. I liked how she talked about making incremental and very specific steps so you know when you are hitting the mark. I have set goals and will use her method to help me get things done,” Nelson says.
Nelson said Bantolina also attended the YPN Reception. “He said it was really great. He had the chance to see a lot of the people he has met at previous YPN events,” she says.
The Region Nine Reception was on the agenda for Bantolina, Nelson and Gettys. It was a particularly special event for Nelson, who was honored with the Leadership Impact Award for Region Nine. See the story in this issue to learn more about why she received this recognition.
All said it was beneficial to connect with other members from their region. “It was great. It was so nice to meet others, including Jared Medaris [CERP, president, Expo Events, Fresno, Calif., who serves as the ARA of California president.] Having the opportunity to meet others who have taken on leadership roles was encouraging to me,” Nelson says.
Medaris also attended the ARAPAC Reception. “I think it’s really important to get involved and to inform our political leaders about our industry, what our needs are and hopefully get our voice heard. I love coming together as a group at events like this because sometimes when you’re at home you feel like you’re alone. But when we come together as a group, we understand how big our voice can be,” he says.
Luis Gutierrez Sr., LGP Equipment Rentals, Bell Gardens, Calif., and team ham it up for the camera.
Sierra also had a great time at the YPN Reception, the Region Nine Reception and the ARA Foundation Charity Auction and Reception. “This was our first time going to the auction. It was nice to see how everyone was so willing to support the industry. I raised my hand for an item, but someone else beat my bid. We didn’t come home with any items, but we had a winning experience,” he says with a laugh.
Just before the wrap-up of the show, many attendees shared an unforgettable evening with chart-topping country singer Mitchell Tenpenny at the sold-out Tuesday Night Event at House of Blues New Orleans.
“It was fun and interesting. I loved the live music and the food was great. We were able to meet a lot of new people, too,” Sierra says.
Show attendees from Region Nine had such a phenomenal time they can’t wait to do it all again next year.
“We will absolutely be there. We plan to bring more people from our operation to Vegas because it is closer to us,” Gettys says.
Nelson couldn’t agree more. “I go every year because it is the one opportunity that I have to see everybody. It is a great time to get together, network and get on the show floor to see all the equipment in person. Because it is closer to us, I plan to bring even more staff,” she says.
Sierra can’t wait for next year. “I love to reconnect with friends, talking with people and seeing those relationships grow every time you see them. I also like to see the latest products in the industry so we can continue to innovate and learn. No matter how many times we go to the show, there always is something new. Going to the show is super-helpful,” he says.
Click here to view the show wrap-up video from Rental Management.
