CONEXPO-CON/AGG
2026 reminded everyone why this show sits at the center of construction
innovation. Across five packed days in Las Vegas (March 3–7), more than 140,000
construction professionals from 128 countries converged on the Las Vegas
Convention Center to evaluate equipment, explore new technology, and build the
relationships that keep job sites moving.
For
ForgeFX Simulations, CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 was about one thing: making training
scalable, consistent, and jobsite-relevant—without the cost, risk, and
bottlenecks that come with relying solely on scarce machines and even scarcer
“master trainers.” That theme ran through everything we did on the show floor
and on stage—from hands-on demos in the North Hall to our “From Iron to Impact”
talk on the Ground Breakers Stage. Training new operators today often means pulling expensive machines out of production or limiting access to the few units available. Meanwhile instructors are stretched thin and learning curves keep getting longer. VR fills that gap by giving trainees a way to build foundational skills before they ever step into a real cab.
Learn More: Shaping the Future of Training in Construction: How ForgeFX Is Helping the Industry Move from Iron to Impact
CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 Proved the Industry is Ready to Scale What Works
CONEXPO-CON/AGG
is explicitly built for scale: the show runs every three years and positions
itself as North America’s largest construction trade show, with 2,000+
exhibitors, roughly 3,000,000 square feet of exhibit space, and 150 education
sessions.
Those numbers matter because they mirror the challenge facing OEMs, dealers, rental providers, and contractors: getting consistent performance at scale—across geographies, shifting jobsite conditions, and a workforce pipeline under pressure. That’s why education and workforce readiness weren’t side topics in 2026; they were central programming. Even the new Ground Breakers Stage (presented by Sherwin-Williams) was designed to spotlight real-world innovation and the companies applying it now—explicitly including “the evolution of equipment training.”
At
ForgeFX, we felt that shift directly in conversations at the booth: attendees
weren’t asking whether immersive training “might work someday.” They were
asking how to operationalize it—how to deploy repeatable training across dealer
networks, how to measure skill progression, and how to integrate simulation
with existing instructor-led programs. That perspective aligns with how
CONEXPO-CON/AGG framed the conversation in its own coverage: VR isn’t
positioned as a replacement for hands-on training, but as a way to make
hands-on time more targeted and productive.
What ForgeFX Showcased in the North Hall
ForgeFX
exhibited in the North Hall at Booth N10330. From the start, our goal was simple: make immersive training tangible. Not a concept video—something you can try, discuss, and evaluate as a real component of a training ecosystem.
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| ForgeFX Simulations at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 |
In the CONEXPO-CON/AGG exhibitor directory, ForgeFX is described as developing immersive training
simulators that combine VR/AR with real-world controls integration, aimed at
accelerating workforce readiness while improving safety and standardizing
training. We
demonstrated training built around realistic workflows and authentic equipment
behavior, with integrated physical controls and performance tracking—designed
not as a “one-off app,” but as infrastructure OEMs can deploy broadly.
We
also highlighted the reality that training has to run where the workforce
is—across different devices and environments. ForgeFX’s develops training platforms that run across headsets and traditional devices (like
phones and desktops), supporting scalability across distributed operations.
A Crowd Magnet for a Reason: AccessReady Fusion XR and Physical Controls in VR
One of the most effective ways to communicate the value of simulation-based training is to let people feel how quickly it builds familiarity and confidence—especially when VR is paired with the physical controls operators will use in the real world.
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| Heavy Equipment VR Training Simulator |
At
CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, we featured JLG’s AccessReady Fusion XR™, which ForgeFX
developed as a virtual reality access equipment training simulator intended to
help trainees learn proper operation in a safe, risk-free virtual environment. JLG describes AccessReady Fusion XR as an immersive VR-based training simulator for MEWP users of all skill levels—covering everything from controls familiarization to advanced operation—and enabling instructors to create scenarios and define evaluation criteria. AccessReady
Fusion XR includes networked multiuser support, enabling trainees to connect
over the internet and train together in a shared virtual environment,
supporting instructor-led modes and collaboration.From all the interactions we had with folks over the week, two things stood out in attendee reactions:
First,
“controls familiarity” is not a trivial baseline. When operators can repeatedly
practice the basics—without tying up a machine, burning fuel, risking damage,
or introducing early-stage mistakes into a live environment—it changes the
economics and safety profile of ramp-up training. VR-based simulation helps trainees build
foundational skills before stepping into real equipment, so instructor time and
machine time can be applied where they matter most.
Second, the conversation quickly moved from “cool demo” to “deployment questions.” Attendees asked about rollout across multiple locations, localization and translation, consistency of instruction, and performance metrics and measurement—exactly the operational issues addressed by ForgeFX’s scalable training infrastructure.
From Iron to Impact on the Ground Breakers Stage
Beyond the booth, ForgeFX was proud to be part of the Ground Breakers Stage lineup—CONEXPO-CON/AGG’s new keynote platform created to elevate the conversations shaping the future of construction, including workforce and training innovation.
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| How VR Simulation is Transforming Heavy Equipment Training |
On
Wednesday, March 4, ForgeFX CEO and Co-Founder Greg Meyers presented “From Ironto Impact: How VR Simulation Is Transforming Heavy Equipment Training”. CONEXPO-CON/AGG’s session description captured why this topic resonated: equipment manufacturers face mounting pressure to train faster and more consistently amid rising equipment costs, shrinking labor pools, increasing safety requirements, and limited access to machines—while traditional training struggles to scale and can place novice operators into high-risk situations too early.
Greg
summarized a core idea that we heard echoed across the show: “VR-based simulation lets trainees
learn the fundamentals before they ever touch equipment in the real world.”
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| Greg Meyers, ForgeFX Simulations, From Iron to Impact |
What
we wanted attendees to take away was not that simulation-based VR training is “the future,” but that
production-ready solutions can be a practical tool inside existing training
programs right now—supporting instructors, standardizing early learning, and
helping organizations scale expertise across a distributed workforce.
The
Ground Breakers Stage programming framed ForgeFX’s session as the
conclusion of a Day 2 arc focused on “the evolution of equipment training,”
reinforcing that immersive training is now part of the broader technology stack
shaping jobsites—alongside robotics, digital services, and connected platforms.
Why Immersive Training was Everywhere at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026: Labor Constraints, Safety Realities, and the Need for Consistency
The “why now” behind immersive training wasn’t theoretical at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026; it was backed by the realities that contractors and OEMs are navigating.
Safety remains a non-negotiable driver for better training and standardization. CPWR’s construction “Focus Four” framing highlights that falls, struck-by, electrocution, and caught-in/between incidents together account for almost two-thirds of construction fatalities. While VR is not a safety “silver bullet,” it can provide repeatable practice and assessment—especially for foundational behaviors and situational judgment—before a trainee’s first real-world exposure to high-consequence environments. That aligns with CONEXPO-CON/AGG’s own training narrative: VR addresses limited machine availability and safety concerns, while reducing costs tied to consumables, travel, and downtime.
ForgeFX Simulations Transforms OEM Instructor Expertise into Scalable Training Infrastructure
And at the scale of a global OEM or a national rental network, consistency is the hidden problem behind both performance and safety. CONEXPO-CON/AGG’s Ground Breakers Stage session description explicitly points to the need to train “faster, safer, and more consistently,” noting that traditional methods can be hard to scale and can expose expensive equipment to damage while consuming costly resources.
This is where simulation becomes more than a training “format.” It becomes infrastructure: a way to capture expert knowledge, translate it into measurable, repeatable learning experiences, and deliver it broadly—so results don’t depend on which instructor happens to be available, or which machine is free, or whether travel budgets allow someone to attend a proving ground class.
It’s worth noting that while study contexts vary, broader enterprise VR research continues to reinforce a core point that matters for industrial training: well-designed VR-based learning application can improve confidence and speed of learning compared to traditional approaches. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reported that learners trained with VR were “up to” 275% more confident to act on what they learned than classroom learners (with specific comparisons cited against classroom and e-learning modalities). The key message for heavy equipment manufacturers is not to copy-paste those percentages, but to recognize the direction of impact: immersive learning can compress early learning curves when it’s engineered around real tasks and reinforced by practice and feedback—exactly the pattern we see driving interest in simulation-based operator training.
Partnering for scale: ForgeFX and Pico XR at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026
Scaling immersive training isn’t just about the content; it’s also about deployment and operations. At CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, ForgeFX highlighted VR-based operator training built for PICO XR and a collaboration focused on advancing enterprise operator training deployments—especially for construction, mining, and heavy equipment OEM contexts.
From a deployment standpoint, the messaging emphasized flexibility for OEMs at scale—pairing immersive training systems with enterprise-oriented headset capabilities and centralized device management considerations for fleet rollout.
This also connected to a forward-looking theme raised in CONEXPO-CON/AGG’s coverage: what happens when the “instructor-level” guidance embedded in simulators can eventually extend beyond training environments into real operations—supported by maturing wearable technologies.
For ForgeFX, CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 reinforced a clear direction: the market is moving from isolated XR pilots toward programs that can be deployed across teams, regions, and dealer networks while maintaining quality, measurement, and operational feasibility.
We left Las Vegas energized by what we heard from OEM leaders, training teams, and workforce advocates—and proud to have contributed to a show where training wasn’t treated as an afterthought, but as a strategic lever for safety, productivity, and growth. The momentum at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 made one thing clear: the industry is ready for training solutions that are scalable, measurable, and built for real jobsite demands. ForgeFX Simulations helps OEMs, dealers, and training organizations bring that vision to life with immersive VR-based operator training. Contact ForgeFX Simulations to start a conversation about scaling safer, more consistent, and more effective equipment training.
