Attendees and exhibitors at GATS enjoyed more thought provoking content,top-notch entertainment and opportunities to improve the health of the trucking industry than ever before.
DALLAS (October 2016) – The 2016 Great American Trucking Show offered an experience unlike anything else in trucking: From having three stages on the show floor featuring compelling speakers and entertainment, to an expanded Health and Wellness Pavilion conducting health screenings on site including DOT physicals, GATS was jam-packed with take-home value for attendees and exhibitors alike.
Add to that a record 546 exhibits, covering more than 500,000 square feet of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas – with over 50,000 registrants – and it’s clear that GATS is a must-attend annual event, says Stacy McCants, vice president of Events for Randall-Reilly, which produces the show. “With so much to see and do, you could feel the excitement,” he says. “Whether attendees wanted to learn about where the industry is headed during the CCJ Market Movers town hall, view the gorgeous show trucks at Pride & Polish, participate in hands-on demonstrations at the Discovery Pavilion, or take part in the free health screenings and DOT physicals offered at the Health and Wellness Pavilion, there truly was something for everyone.”
New features this year included the Discovery Pavilion, which hosted interactive exhibits where attendees could experience products first hand. This pavilion also included a stage where attendees heard presentations on the new PC-11 oil formulations, an update on ELDs, tips for reducing tax debt, a presentation of Trucking’s Top Rookie and our Trucker Talent Search competition.
Practitioners at the Landstar Health and Wellness Pavilion conducted more than 2,000 health screenings that identified hundreds of abnormal risk values requiring follow up. This year, the Great American Trucking show was able to offer DOT Physicals to attendees at a discounted rate, in addition to the many different free screenings provided. At the pavilion, 44 women received mammograms, 37 of which were gifts to uninsured women, and 53 pints of blood were collected that could save more than 160 lives. Truckers also took advantage of the health and fitness content presented at the Landstar Health Pavilion stage. Lastly, with a 30 % increase over 2015, 95 people registered for the Progressive Fit for the Road 5k, which started and finished at the GATS truck parking lot.
And no trucking show would be complete without trucks. Attendees parked more than 600 trucks at the TA/Petro Truck Parking Community. The truck parking area had the feel of a real community, with food vendors, entertainment and free showers provided by TA/Petro Stopping Centers.
Country music legend John Michael Montgomery performed Friday night to a packed house of GATS attendees who enjoyed the free concert. Trucker song writer, Tony Justice, opened the concert.
Make plans to attend next year’s The Great American Trucking Show, Aug. 24-26, 2017, at the Kay Baily Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, TX. For more information on exhibiting visit www.truckshow.com or call our events line at 888-349-4287.
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