LOUISVILLEKy. — The Equip Exposition set a new record Oct. 18-21, with 25,000 attendees, including 1,000 exhibitors. Attendees came from all 50 states and 49 countries, with the farthest reaching being Guam, New Zealand and Australia.
In addition to Hardscape North America, which co-hosts Equip Expo, the show occupied 675,000 square feet inside the Kentucky Exposition Center. An expanded outdoor demo space debuted in 2022, growing from 22 to 30 acres. All available booths were sold out, both indoors and outdoors.
Records were also set for sponsorship sales and advertising sales for equip review.
This was no ordinary show, with features like the Drone Zone, where attendees could test their skills in a simulator and then fly a drone, and a UTV Test Track, where they could put UTVs through their paces on turns, over rocks, in water and mud. There were tree climbing demonstrations and tree care techniques by professional instructors using a real tree erected in the convention center’s Freedom Hall.
Leadership Changes at Louisville Tourism
New training programs for landscapers focused on topics such as leadership, technology, sales and profitability, while expanded training sessions were offered to dealers on topics such as succession planning and profitability. Conferences were also held on timely topics such as “The California Equation,” regarding the impact that regulatory changes to equipment in the West will have on the industry nationally.
More than 4,000 people attended the first-ever welcome reception at Louisville Slugger Stadium. The closing remarks were given by Joel Sartore, creator of National Geographic’s Photo Ark.
“This show continues to be the industry’s family event,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of Equip Exposition and the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, which owns the show. “We were expecting a good year, and the fact that the exhibit space sold out is an indication of the industry’s optimism for the future.”
Next year, the show will return to the Kentucky Exposition Center from October 18-20.
Contact Kris Kiser at kkiser@opei.org or (703) 549-7600