Try before you buy

Attendees say they feel like a kid again when they hit the Outdoor Demonstration Area at GIE+EXPO and Hardscape North America. Twenty acres of mowers, skid-steers, UTVs and more are all within easy walking distance of the EXPO show floor.

“The product focus is ideal, and because there is so much in a condensed area, we get it all knocked out,” says Matt Bieber of DR Power in Vergennes, Vermont. “GIE+EXPO is an amazing place to be around the people we work with all year. The demo area allows us to get hands-on experience with the new equipment.”

New this year, the co-located Hardscape North America’s demo area is moving to a paved area adjacent to the turf, increasing the available space to more than 20 acres and making way for more GIE+EXPO demo exhibits.

“The three elements that make GIE+EXPO worthwhile for me are the networking, education and equipment. It’s helpful to meet pros from different areas to find out how they do things, and from an education standpoint, they break it down so you learn steps to improve your profits, work culture and efficiency,” says Cameron Mitchell, maintenance operator at Benchmark Landscape Construction in Plain City, Ohio. “But the biggest thing for me is the equipment. At GIE+EXPO I’m like a kid on a playground!"

The Outdoor Demonstration Area, just steps away from GIE+EXPO’s indoor exhibits, will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 20 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 21. It features hands-on exhibits displaying new products and equipment, from hand-held and walk-behind equipment to ride-on mowers, light construction equipment and UTVs. Attendees say they love the opportunity to get behind the controls, test drive and comparison shop all in one place over two days.

“I’m like a kid in a candy store,” says Kyle Baggett with Kyle B’s Landscaping & Maintenance in Dover, Tennessee. “I enjoy looking at all the booths and the demo area is awesome to walk thru.”

Hardscape Demonstrations

New this year, the Hardscape Demonstrations will be a continuous build, held during show hours in the tented Hardscape North America Outdoor Arena, with one-hour featured demonstrations starting at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. GIE+EXPO attendees can upgrade your tradeshow admission to include the demos for just $25. Or sign up for the hardscape session in the GIE+EXPO Workshops, which includes access to the hardscape demonstrations.

Thursday, Oct. 20

11 a.m. - noon

Paver Installation

Bill Gardocki, Owner, Interstate Landscape Co., Inc.

Marc Larsen, Owner, Mountain West Paver Specialists

1 - 2 p.m.

Tools of the Trade

Bill Gardocki, Owner, Interstate Landscape Co., Inc.

Tom Gardocki, Hardscape Operations Foreman, Interstate Landscape Co., Inc.

3 - 4 p.m.

Basic Wall Building

Bill Gardocki, Owner, Interstate Landscape Co., Inc.

Friday, Oct. 21

11 a.m. - noon

Permeable Paver Installation

Bill Gardocki, Owner, Interstate Landscape Co., Inc.

1 - 2 p.m.

Pillar, Step and Specialty Applications Installation

Tim Huinker, Construction Specialist, Anchor Wall Systems

3 - 4 p.m.

Lighting and Water Feature Installation

Jeff Hesser, Mid Atlantic Regional Sales Manager, Cast Lighting LLC

Rene Gingras, Landscape Professor, Thompson School at the University of New Hampshire

Each HNA demonstration is eligible for one ICPI Certified Installer Continuing Education Credit. Attendees should pick up a CE tracking form at the HNA registration desk.