With the New Year now in full swing, it’s time to get ready for a busy season of industry conventions. We are a proud sponsor of the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) Summit & CONDEX, kicking off this week in Houston, Texas. As an international trade association, AED represents companies involved in construction, mining, forestry, agriculture and more. The annual three-day show brings together industry distributors, manufacturers, service providers, and more to learn about new services and products, network with peers and attend educational sessions.

Every three years, professionals from the construction industry come together in Munich at bauma, the international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment. This year marks the 30th gathering of the world’s largest trade fair, taking place April 15-21, 2013. More than 420,000 visitors from 200 countries are expected to walk the 570,000 square meters of exhibition space. More than 3,300 exhibitors from 54 countries will showcase their innovations and services.

IronPlanet team members David Tobon, Sue McGregor, Matt Bousky and Carson Ericsson attended the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) Annual Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., April 2-6. The conference included more than 700 attendees, including crane and rigging operations owners, CEOs, senior managers and other industry leaders. IronPlanet team members enjoyed attending education sessions by well-known authors and speakers at the event, and networking with members of the SC&RA, customers and other industry partners.

Recently named among the fastest-growing trade shows in the U.S. by Trade Show Executive magazine, The Rental Show returned to Las Vegas this year, February 10 – 13, at The Sands Expo and Convention Center. The trade show portion of the event has been sold out since November of last year, with over 250,000 square feet of exhibit space.

Informative seminars on customer service, business management and leadership began on Sunday, February 10, while the exhibit floor opened Monday. IronPlanet participated as an exhibitor and experts in heavy equipment and used equipment values were on hand to speak to thousands of show attendees.

IronPlanet team members Jeff Jeter, Carson Erickson, Bill Fisher, Scott Walter, and Lisa Burgess recently attended the AED Summit & Condex in Las Vegas from January 15 – 17, 2013. As a sponsor of the event, IronPlanet hosted an informational booth featuring a demonstration of the online auction and provided high quality tote bags for conference attendees.The expo was held at the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino and attracted a national and Canadian audience interested in products and services essential to dealer profitability, business information, and industry seminars to help stay on top of 2013 trends.

IronPlanet will host its first major sale of 2013 at its Western Auction Premiere on January 30 and 31. This online auction features thousands of items, ranging from track excavators and crawler tractors to forklifts and dump trucks. Not only does this sale precede the major traditional auctions that will occur this year, but the fact that it takes place entirely online offers advantages as well.

On November 8, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers Political Action Committee (AEMPAC) hosted its annual Academy Awards Night Gala at the Terranea Resort near Los Angeles, Calif. IronPlanet's Ron McClain volunteered his services to help the committee raise over $71,000 in ticket and auction sales. The live auction featured items donated by Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) members.

IronPlanet^®, a leading online marketplace for used heavy equipment, sold more than $50 million of gross merchandise volume (GMV) during its first onsite and online auction February 21–24. The four-day sale is IronPlanet’s largest auction in company history. (photos from the event)