IFPE Countdown: Some history

With the IFPE show a little more than a month away (Where has the time gone? Where have the last three years gone?!), it seems like it’s a good time to talk about the history of this major American trade show. Do you know where it came from or what its origins are?

IFPE was originally the International Fluid Power Exposition, a Chicago-based fluid power show that was owned by the National Fluid Power Association. It was held every four years in Chicago, starting in 1984. I can remember attending the 1996 IFPE Show (my first) and being just blown away by how extensive the show floor was. There were countless booths—pretty much every fluid power manufacturer I had ever heard of, as well as many new ones. There were companies from Germany and Italy and the U.K.—and Japan and Korea and China. Even the attendees were global in nature. It was a great thing to see and experience.

The show occasionally partnered with other events, including the International Welding and Fabricating Expo and Motion Expo.

In 2000, the show name was altered slightly. Now referred to as “IFPE—International Exposition for Power Transmission,” the goal of the name change was to include electrical and mechanical components and systems along with the fluid power base.

Beginning in 2002, IFPE was co-located with the CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition, the Western Hemisphere’s largest exposition for the construction and construction materials industries. This meant two big changes for the event. First, its location was moved from Chicago to Las Vegas, a big change for the show. The other change was that it moved to a 3-year cycle, to continue to coincide with CONEXPO-CON/AGG.

This year’s show runs from March 4-8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Visit www.ifpe.com for details.