January February 2018

American Traffic Safety Services Association 10 Later this month, ATSSA’s Annual Convention & Traffic Expo will mark its 48th year with nearly 3,500 attendees and 177 exhibiting companies. Event attendees and ATSSA staff will convene Jan. 26 to 30 at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, where ATSSA’s Annual Convention & Traffic Expo was last held in 2014. With several decades under its belt, the ATSSA event has earned and held down the title for the largest trade show for road- way safety products and services in America—a noteworthy achievement that is backed by 48 years of growing numbers of attendees, exhibitors, exhibit space, events, and mainstream recognition. Looking back at the past five years alone, the annual event has been on a steady incline, climbing from2,900 event attend- ees at ATSSA’s 43rd Annual Convention & Traffic Expo in San Diego, California, to 3,364 attendees at ATSSA’s 47thAnnual Convention & Traffic Expo in Phoenix, Arizona. Even more impressive is the comparison of the 2017 and projected 2018 figures to those fromearlier years of the event. ATSSA’s first trade show in 1970was held in a ballroom and drew 150 attendees with about ten tabletop displays. The event’s meetings, exhibits, and meal functions were held within 8,000 square feet of space. Some earlier products that were exhib- ited at ATSSA’s 6th Annual Convention & Traffic Expo in 1976 included safety vests, arrow boards, batteries, hard hats, andfirst-aid items. Attendees participated in a networking event and general meet- ings that year. It wasn’t until 1972 that the event was held in a convention center in Phoenix, Arizona. From 1993 onward, technological advancements ushered in bigger and more high-tech products. Fast forward to today, there is a heavy focus on innovation in the realm of both products and events. “We are really excited to bring the ATSSA Annual Convention & Traffic Expo back to San Antonio in 2018. As we have the past few years, we are trying new things to ensure the attendees get the most from coming to the event. Once again, we’ve completely revamped the Opening General Session, and developed a new research-based education model that will allow for an in-depth learning expe- rience. The Traffic Expo has grown again this year, with new leading edge tech- nology and product offerings, keeping ATSSA’s event at the forefront of the roadway and infrastructure safety indus- try,” said ATSSA’s Director of Meetings & Conventions, Neil Mullanaphy, CHME. ATSSA’s Annual Convention & Traffic Expo remains the top event for members of the roadway safety industry. The 2018 Annual Convention & Traffic Expo will bring the latest innovative products from exhibitors together in more than 200,000 square feet of exhibit space. This year’s event also will offer highly anticipated event s including the Chairman’s Reception, Opening General Session, ATSSA Traffic Talks, ATSSA’s New Products Rollout, the ATSSA Innovation Awards, ATSSA’s Circle of Innovation, the 2018 Traffic Control Device Challenge ( he l d i n pa r t ne r sh i p w i t h t he Transportation Research Board), and education and informational sessions. On the Rise Meetings & Conventions A look back at ATSSA’s Annual Convention& Traffic Expo and highlights from the last five years The largest trade show for roadway safety products and services in America