Equip Expo Organizers Share Helpful Hints For First-Time Attendees

Show organizers are offering helpful tips for landscapers, contractors, dealers, and distributors attending the award-winning Equip Exposition for the first time in 2024.

Set to be held Oct. 15-18 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, Equip Expo is one of the largest, annual trade shows in the United States.

Set to be held Oct. 15-18 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, Equip Expo is one of the largest, annual trade shows in the United States.

“I’ve ‘only’ been to eighteen of the 41 shows, but I have some advice,” says Kris Kiser, President & CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), which owns and manages the show.

First, he says first-timers should understand that it is not a one-day show.

“For an immersive experience, you’ll want to be there all three days,” Kiser says.

In 2023, the show drew over 27,000 people and had more than one million square feet of exhibit space with a 30-acre outdoor demo yard, which allows attendees to dig, drive, cut, mulch, and conduct other tests of new equipment they need for their businesses.

“Our goal has been to create a world-class event for our attendees,” Kiser says.

This year, OPEI has invested in more peer-to-peer social opportunities including renting Churchill Downs for a welcome reception, having Kevin O’Connor of “This Old House” as keynote speaker, a happy hour at Freedom Hall with the Crashers band, and having Trace Atkins give an arena concert at the Yum! Center at no charge to attendees and more.

With so much to do, Kiser emphasizes that planning is key to getting the most out of Equip Expo.

“Do some homework,” he says. “Before you get here, download the app, go to the website, look at the maps, and familiarize yourself with the logistics.”

It is important to know how to get in and out of the Kentucky Exposition Center.

“It’s also an event you want to share and bring your colleagues to,” Kiser says. “It’s a team-building exercise where you can learn new things as well as from one another, have some fun, and have a shared experience.”

A core goal of the show is facilitating networking so attendees can meet people who are going through similar business challenges. It has been called the industry’s family reunion.

"It's crazy how willing people are to help other people [at Equip],” said Blake Albertson of B&B Lawn Care.

Kiser offers the following tips to help first-timers plan their best experience at Equip Expo:

• Register now. If you’re registered, you will receive Equip’s regular emails about everything going on at the show. Sign up at EquipExposition.com for $30 before prices double on September 6. On October 14, the price doubles again. Don’t get stuck paying full price ($120) at the show.
• Add education, certification classes, and training to your registration before sessions sell out. Sessions are targeted to help you explore ways to grow your businesses, address common problems, and develop employees. Other sessions will cover irrigation, pesticide management, tree and shrub pruning, pool and spa, outdoor lighting, and more. Select classes, including the popular From Worker to Leader course, are available in Spanish.
• Book travel arrangements and hotel reservations early. Louisville’s hotel rooms often sell out with the thousands of Equip Expo attendees in town. Many hotels are on the show’s complimentary trade show shuttle route.
• Invite others. Bring your teammates from your company (if you are a landscaper) or your contractor customers (if you are a dealer or distributor). “Equip is a fantastic team-building opportunity, through shared educational experiences and testing new equipment to having fun at concerts with one another,” Kiser says. “This makes acting on new knowledge and ideas when home easier.”
• Download the Equip Expo app. Available on Android or iPhone, it serves as an event guide with schedules, maps, and more.
• Determine the top three business problems you are trying to solve and then review the speakers, exhibits, and education offerings to identify the ones that will help the most with those problems.
• Familiarize yourself with Louisville and show transportation options.
• Learn the six principal areas of the show— the North Wing, the South Wing, the West Wing, the Outdoor Demo Yard, the Garden Center, and Freedom Hall.
• Pack strategically, bringing layers for various weather conditions and indoor and outdoor experiences. Kiser famously emphasizes that attendees should wear comfortable shoes.
• Plan to engage with other attendees.

“Though 40 years old, Equip Exposition remains the unique opportunity for the industry,” sums up Kiser. “It’s our industry’s largest event, and it continues to grow. We’re doing something right because every year we hear what an incredible return on investment it gives to the industry.”

Share This!

CONTRACTOR SUPPLY MAGAZINE

The October/November 2024 of Contractor Supply magazine is here!

Our cover story, A Rewarding Passion - Dale Hahs II, third-generation of Denver's AIS Industrial & Construction Supply, is STAFDA's incoming 2025 president.

A Special STAFDA section featuring a welcome address, an agenda, session previewss by presenters and much more. Also in this issue are our Industry Updates on: Lifting, Moving and Material Handling; Lasers, Levels and Measurement; Hand Tools; Cordless Power Tools; Drill Bits and Cutting Tools; and Toolboxes, Bags and Belts.

This digital edition, sponsored by BECK AMERICA Inc., is fully searchable and contains live links to every advertiser and new product listing. Click away!

Read the Articles                                       Read the Digital Edition