LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 2023 edition of Equipment exhibition The show broke the show’s attendance and exhibit space record. More than 27,000 registered attendees from all 50 states and 46 countries gathered on one million square feet of exhibit space and 30 acres of outdoor space from October 17-20.
The Equip Exposition trade fair, owned by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), has expanded to the West Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center due to demand for space, and with the co-location of Hardscape North America, Equip Exposition has also expanded to all of the North, East and South Halls.
The increase in attendance includes a 20% year-over-year increase in landscape contractor registrations and a 5% increase in dealer attendance. Booth sales, sponsorships and training sessions also saw increases in 2023.
“We really wanted to better understand the attendee perspective, so we conducted a survey and reached out to our core attendees,” said Kris Kiser, OPEI CEO. “We asked them questions about the show, what we do well and poorly, what kind of peer-to-peer activities they’re looking for, and what kind of training they want.”
Through this survey, the team was able to identify the key challenges faced by participants and incorporated courses into the educational program that directly addressed these findings. The new programming included sessions on pool and spa topics, as well as irrigation. Some workshops were also offered in Spanish this year.
Related. A family of trade show professionals meets every year at the Equip Exposition
The team faced a major challenge: parking at the show, as queues are long and create traffic jams when visitors pay for parking. OPEI decided to cover the parking fees to ease traffic and provide better customer service. The feedback on parking has been positive, so OPEI will continue to cover these fees.
The show team has also focused on attracting and engaging women in the industry and this year hosted a well-attended women’s reception.
“In many private and small businesses, women make a lot of the big decisions, like equipment spending,” Kiser said. “We asked ourselves how we were involving them, and the answer was we weren’t. We brought in a professional, held focus groups and looked for a way to attract and motivate women who are in the industry but aren’t attending the trade show. We had women’s groups last year, and this year we had a women’s reception that drew about 500 people.”
After another record-breaking year, the Equip Exposition team is already looking ahead to 2024, with plans for a welcome reception at Churchill Downs, which will celebrate the 150th Kentucky Derby anniversary in 2024, and a concert in the Yum! Center arena in downtown Louisville. The 2024 show will also feature the annual dog adoption event, which helps about 20 dogs a year find their forever homes as they are adopted directly from the show by the Kentucky Humane Society.
The Equip 2024 exhibition will take place from October 15 to 18 in Louisville.