Panama’s CAPAC 2009: Lots Heavy Equipment and Deals on Mortgages Too

If you want to see huge earth movers, giant portable cranes, or a dump truck with 8 foot high tires up close, come to Panama’s yearly construction and housing fair. If you are interested in a deal on a new mortgage come to Panama’s annual construction and housing fair. The Panama Chamber of Construction (CAPAC) held its annual International Construction and Housing Fair, CAPAC 2009, this last week at the ATLAPA Convention Center in Panama City. From Wednesday to Friday there were heavy equipment demonstrations and a focus on construction knowhow and tools of the trade.

CAPAC’s trade show started in 1980 and was exclusively a trade fair with vendors of heavy equipment and construction materials selling to Panama’s construction industry. In the 1990’s the fair began to add exhibits for interior design, realtor booths, and the occasional mortgage broker or lender.

Today CAPAC’s fair gives equal interior floor space to construction exhibits and a mix of banks, realtors, and developers. The grounds of ATLAPA, however, are the province of the world’s makers of earthmovers, cranes, trucks, and excavators.

By Sunday afternoon it seemed a little eerie inside ATLAPA walking past the sleeping monster machines in the darkened heavy equipment exhibit while a hundred paces away visitors looking for deals on mortgages flooded the real estate development and bank mortgage department booths.

There were people waiting in line from Thursday on at ATLAPA holding their $2 entry fee, a copy of their Cedula, proof of residence, work permit, and a copy of their tax return. Bank booths were full from morning to close processing mortgage applications.

For some of us, however, the fun was imagining getting to drive the truck with the eight foot high tires or the giant earth compactor. Unfortunately, someone hid all of the ignition keys! Maybe next year.