The biggest show ever ... just got bigger

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When attendees arrive at the GIE+EXPO at the Kentucky Exposition Center in October, they may forget the enormous size of the show. That’s because the show they remembered last year has gotten even bigger this year.

New and expanded booth space are expected to result in a show floor that is more than 80,000 square feet larger, a 17 percent increase from last year.

And that’s just the inside.

Outside in the demo area, the typical 19 acres has been increased to 20 in order to accommodate an increase in products on display for attendees to test. Products seem to be what most people at the show talk about, which is why this year’s New Products Showcase is expected to sell out.

The growth in number and size of booths has resulted in the expansion of HNA to the North Wing of exposition center and outdoor booths are stretching to the parking lot, taking up past parking spaces.

“These are great problems to have,” says Kris Kiser, president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). He admits that so many booths are being added, he currently doesn’t have a booth location for OPEI. “We’ve sold out the space where we’d normally be, so as long as we can sell space, I’ll find a home for the OPEI booth in the hallway. These are great, great problems to have.”

Increases aren’t just happening on the show floor either. The educational sessions have expanded to cover more topics and provide more opportunities for both dealers and landscape contractors and their crews to take in tips and ideas on growing their business, improving marketing techniques and optimizing cash flow.

At GIE+EXPO, more than 40 percent of education registrants are always first timers, and after their first year, they spend almost all of their time at the show on the exhibit floor and in the demo area. There’s a lot of ground to cover and there are tons of new products to see and test.

“While our owner has been here many times, I was able to attend this year (2015) for the first time,” says Greg Phillips, a landscaper with Land Expressions LLC in Mead, Washington. “My main take away is the show’s sheer size. I’m blown away by the physical footprint and how much is offered. I was not expecting this.”

In addition, more exhibitors than ever are expected at this year’s show; more than 230 new exhibitors, including those for Hardscape North America, will showcase their products and services, resulting in more than 900 exhibits for attendees to check out when they walk the show.

And past exhibitors are expanding their space to accommodate growing business and new products.

“Our story’s very simple. We are growing,” says Jukka Lyly-Yrjanainen, President of Avant Techno.

This year will be the company’s fifth show, and it has increased both its indoor and outdoor booths to showcase the growing product line. “We’re introducing more and more new products every year, so we need more space. Because of the size and kind of products, we simply need more space inside to have more machines available.”

Exhibitors are also using extra booth space to provide current and potential customers with more face time.

“Our brand is how we showcase our capabilities to customers,” David Luczynski, CEO of Ningbo LERA Electric Appliance Company. “We think that our exhibit space at GIE+EXPO is closely linked to how we effectively communicate that to people.”

And attendees are equally appreciative of the chance to have one-on-one time with exhibitors.

"I attend GIE+EXPO every year and order products as a result of what I see,” says Randy Sharpe, a landscaper with Reinhart Grounds Maintenance in Bloomington, Illinois. “I appreciate the interaction with exhibitors. If we have an issue with a product, we can talk to the engineers to see what we can do to resolve it.”

““There’s a lot of new stuff, so if someone’s on the fence, this is the year to come,” says Kiser.