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There is a lot that goes into being the best for rental companies: you need to provide superior customer service; your rental professionals need to have detailed knowledge of the equipment and the goods that they rent; you need to rent quality equipment and goods that meet the demand of your customers; you need to build strong relationships with your primary vendors in order to stay up to date on product knowledge and updates. While hard work and plenty of experience can go a long way to meeting such lofty goals, networking within the equipment and event rental industry can also be a great way to build upon and update the knowledge that you already have, as well as an excellent opportunity to create and strengthen relationships with vendors and other rental professionals. The American Rental Association (ARA)’s The Rental Show, held every February in alternating locations, provides such opportunities for rental professionals and vendors alike.

It All Started in Moline, Illinois…

The ARA was begun in 1955 by a collection of 21 owners of rental companies in the Midwest as a way to discuss issues that they shared. During that first year, they decided to hold a trade show in the following year and, if that show was a success, they planned to hold similar shows once a year. It turned out that this first show, held in Kansas City, was an enormous success. The ARA has built on the success of this show to make the Rental Show a focus of the rental companies, vendors and potential rental professionals in both the United States and throughout the world. Attendees at the 2015 Show came from all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, all Canadian provinces and from more than 40 countries including Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Honduras, India, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The overwhelming appeal and influence of the Show will be highlighted by the 60th annual The Rental Show, which will be held February 21 – 24 2016, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.

Oh, How Far We Have Come

The modern version of The Rental Show must look like an alien landscape to rental companies that attended the original.  The 2014 Rental Show, held in Orlando, FL, was a show that took up 28,000 square feet of space, featured 679 vendors and 5600 visitors who came to learn of the latest trends and issues concerning the rental industry. The Rental Show exhibit floor is divided up in to three different categories: Heavy Equipment, which includes things like backhoes and boom lifts; Party and Event, with everything from linens to silverware; and General Tool, which of course includes Orec’s leading line of Walk Behind Brush Cutters like the Cyclone and Samurai, and the Rover Ride-On Brush Mower.  Rental professionals who attend The Rental Show can take advantage of exhibitors’ show-only specials for the best deals on the latest tools and goods, as well as on training on how to use the equipment they rent and the opportunity to meet and network with vendors and other rental professionals.

The ARA Rental Show began in 1956 and has been going strong for 60 years.

Orec and The Rental Show

Orec is excited to be attending its sixth straight Rental Show (we’ll be at booth 2262), and we at Orec are looking forward to seeing all of our great customers from the Equipment Rental Industry. We will also have some great new models on display (sorry no spoilers here – you’ll have to come see us to find out what) as well as our Brush Rover Ride-on Brush Mower, Cyclone Walk Behind Flail Mower and Samurai Walk Behind Rotary Brush Cutter. Orec representatives will be available to answer any questions that rental professionals may have, and to provide training in maintenance and operation of the machines. We’ll also have some show-specials (again, no spoilers–come see us!), so if you find yourself in Atlanta February 21 – 24 and you want to see what Orec has to offer your rental fleet, come say “hi” to us at Booth 2262!