In a sea of bulldozers and excavators digging for attention, it’s not often that a heavy equipment brand would bank on helping construction pros find their Zen. But that was exactly the approach that Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas took for its 30,000-square-foot booth at the recent CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026.
Built around the theme “Connecting Harmony to Innovation,” the exhibit featured the company’s machinery lineup and highlighted technical solutions partners in a setting inspired by the Japanese landscape traditions. It welcomed more than 40,000 visitors during the show, with the average dwell time at 24 minutes.
Beyond creating an exhibit that spoke to the company’s traditions and experience, one of the goals for the exhibit was to pave the way to the rebrand to LANDCROS in 2027.
EM sat down with Gabe Weiss, head of marketing, for Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas, to talk about the exhibit and his take on experiential in industrial trade shows.
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Event Marketer: How did you choose Zen as a theme for a heavy machinery show?
Gabe Weiss, Head of Marketing, Americas, Hitachi
Our company has over 75 years of experience in manufacturing innovative equipment, so it made sense to lean into our heritage and rich traditions. The customers are experts in their field, and we wanted to give them an environment they would enjoy, step away from the bustle, and learn about our products.
Nature elements in our booth were very intentional. We had wood chips around the equipment instead of the usual rubber chips. Railings were made of flat-cut wood so people could set their drinks on them. In the center, we had a wooden platform with the seats and a water feature framed by real moss and slate stones. Traditional Japanese lanterns lined the walkways. We had over 30 speakers throughout that played a custom mix of classical Japanese instrumental with a touch of American rock. The cherry blossom scent added an olfactory dimension to the upstairs spaces. For the evening reception, we had a custom cocktail, “Hitachi After Dark,” with little orange glow cubes.
Having gone to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), I love the cinematic side of experiences. Also, I’m from Florida, and I grew up going to Disney World, so the importance of attention to detail in event experiences continues to inform my work. Sometimes it’s the little details that make a big impact.
EM: How did you drive visibility for this exhibit?
GW: For this show, we had a buyout of sections of Resorts World screens, billboards, a cling on the North Hall (the exhibit was at Festival Grounds), along with 45 screens throughout the conference center. We also ran a comprehensive digital campaign, all of which drove traffic to this on-site experience.
EM: Speaking of digital, what’s on your tech radar for trade shows?
GW: I’ve done a lot of work with augmented reality, where you have a layered perception between the digital and physical space. I’m looking to bring some of that to our exhibit at a mining show—with three sub-companies under one roof, we’re looking for ways to drive engagement for their products as well as tie into a larger brand story.
EM: What was a difficult call but turned out to be the right decision?
GW: The original plan for ConExpo was to have two booths, with the indoor one being technology-centric and the outdoor one featuring the Zen garden. We decided to merge them into one because it worked better logistically. With the Japanese theme, we also had an idea to create custom anime characters, but ultimately, we didn’t have the space for it, even though the content came out really cool.
EM: How did you measure the success?
GW: We track dwell time with sensors throughout the exhibit, as well as leads collected by our partners and us, and the number of machines sold. We did a press conference about the rebrand that was very successful and generated a lot of press pickup. The LANDCROS Connect app, an open source for our fleet managers, got over 100 additional downloads.
Of course, my internal measure of success is the look on attendees’ faces and comments from our dealer network that they’re proud to be part of our company, especially as we go through this transition. On Monday, we walked our executive team through the exhibit. Later that night at dinner, Hitachi Construction Machinery Global COO Senzaki-san said that he felt like he was “at home” in the booth. That was a great compliment.
Photo credits: Anna Huddleston; Courtesy of Hitachi
