[EDITOR’S NOTE: In its 11th year, the Green Industry Conference continues to improve upon its educational and networking opportunities. The following article is reprinted from the November 2000 Lawn & Landscape Expo Extra issue distributed at this year’s Green Industry Expo, Nov. 4-7 in Indianapolis, as a preview of the show.]
INDIANAPOLIS – In 1990, the Green Industry Exposition for lawn and landscape professionals was launched. The national expo, more commonly known as GIE, was formed by three association sponsors, uniting lawn care, landscaping and grounds management industries under one roof. GIE quickly became a major industry show, which landscape contractors look to for education and networking opportunities each year.
The idea to unite three groups – Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA), Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) and Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) – came from Ron Kujawa, chairman of the board, Kujawa Enterprises Inc., Cudahy, Wisc.
"As I went to the various shows, whether it was PGMS, PLCAA or ALCA, I would see the same people over and over again," Kujawa said. "Each of the shows were actually, in a sense, rather dismal. I thought to myself, ‘Everyone wants to support the organizations, so why don’t we make it easier?’ If we could run our conferences concurrently and have one show, we could all do much better. The organizations could do much better and the vendors would be much better off because their expenses would be cut by two-thirds."
THE PAST
While Kujawa thought he had a winning idea, he faced an uphill battle trying to get each association to agree to consolidate all three shows into one, offer concurrent sessions and a trade show. After several attempts at trying to convince the association leaders of the value of this move, Kujawa finally convinced ALCA and PGMS to consolidate their two shows into one.
"The first two years, ALCA and PGMS collaborated, and it was called the Green Team," Kujawa explained. "We had the first show in Milwaukee, and it was good. The next one was in Washington, D.C., and the next was in St. Louis. At the same time we had our show in St. Louis, PLCAA held its show in Las Vegas, and it was not very good. Then they became receptive to the idea of collaborating with us. We met in Alexandria, Va., and hashed out an agreement."
Ultimately, leaders of all three associations agreed to set up GIE as a separate corporate entity.
Still, when PLCAA agreed to come on board, more details had to be worked out. This included conference location, which was the subject of many heated debates.
"The vendors were adamant against going to Las Vegas or Orlando, where there are too many distractions (for attendees)," Kujawa recalled. "But ALCA and PLCAA always went to resort-type areas. Going to Indianapolis or Cincinnati in the fall didn't give them the opportunity to take a vacation with their spouses or to go golfing."
When show attendees are golfing or gambling, this often leaves vendors on the trade show floor talking to each other, Kujawa said.
"This was the reason for the secondary cities," he noted. "Also, if you're trying to get small contractors involved, they have to be able to afford to attend the show. It's easy for a guy to jump in the car and drive from Chicago to Indianapolis or to Cincinnati. Also, secondary and tertiary hotels are where they could stay."
The first show that included all three associations was held in Nashville and, according to Kujawa, "it was an absolute resounding success, and every year the show has gotten bigger and better."
Looking back, Kujawa said the most difficult part of starting the conference was getting everyone to leave his or her egos at the back door.
"Some people thought there should be more control by one (association) or another, when it should be a joint effort," he said. "The biggest difficulty we had then is that people could not take off their ALCA or PLCAA hats and put on a GIE hat when they needed to."
THE PRESENT
Most landscape contractors consider GIE to be the green industry's premier educational event. They say GIE has improved the industry as a whole and has provided valuable information for everyone from the entry-level employee to the upper level manager.
"The show has been a real pioneer in the industry, pulling together various segments of the green industry to one place to share educational opportunities," enthused George Gaumer, vice president Davey Commercial Grounds Management, Davey Tree, Kent, Ohio. "The interaction between various segments of industry – maintenance, installation, professional lawn care operators and grounds managers all in one place – has been excellent for the whole green industry. The people who have attended the show have been the benefactors of some real forward thinking, and this has come from the sharing of ideas."
The show really captures the size and scope of the industry, Gaumer added. "The guys I have taken to the show have been blown away by the immense size of the industry," he said.
This year brings a new element to the show – interior landscaping. For the first time, ALCA's interior and exterior landscape conferences will be held simultaneously. ALCA leaders have said that synergies exist between the two groups, much like the synergies between ALCA, PGMS and PLCAA.
By uniting to put on the conference, all three of these associations have brought more strength and energy to the industry while attracting more vendors to the show, said Rick Doesburg, president, Thornton Landscape, Maineville, Ohio. As a result, the show continues to grow.
"When we go to the show, there's hardly a supplier out there, especially in maintenance or turf care, that isn't represented," Doesburg said. "The show also does a super job of educating us from the various conferences and also because all three conferences are open to all registrants. From sunrise to sunset, we are overwhelmed with the ability to learn things and network."
Aside from the educational sessions, Gaumer said the trade show itself offers a huge educational opportunity.
"All the people we bring to the show learn a lot from the vendors," he noted. "We get to see new equipment and we talk to vendors out in the field. In a hands-on fashion, we are able to learn about new equipment that's available, which sometimes has offered new and different ways to do business. You can learn these efficiencies from the vendors and on the floor show talking to chemical manufacturers and software companies."
THE FUTURE
The green industry's only national conference and trade show will obviously continue to grow and change along with the industry. This year, one of the most obvious changes is the conference's name, which is now the Green Industry Conference, or the GIC.
According to Gaumer, a change that could benefit the GIC is the addition of one or two more green industry associations. "That might bring an interesting added dimension to the show," he pointed out. "For example, if we were to add commercial irrigation contractors, there would be more synergies on the trade show floor and more educational synergies.
"I would like to see more nurseries and more snow removal contractors and vendors," Gaumer added. "And I think there's an interesting fit with the arborists, much like the irrigation industry. Four or five groups wouldn't be too much, but more than that could be alphabet soup."
The addition of more educational programs and vendors focused on snow removal would be one way to improve the show in the future, Kujawa suggested.
"When we come into the snow belt we should put more emphasis on snow removal," he said. "This wouldn't necessarily have to be every year. But we need to make a concerted effort to get the people who are involved in snow equipment and make sure there is a very strong track of snow service programs or panels."
On the trade show floor, Doesburg noted that the biggest weakness is its lack of design/build suppliers and vendors. "The trade show is still very focused on maintenance and turf, and I'm 100 percent design/build," he said, adding that more plant and lighting suppliers would be a welcome addition.
Still, Doesburg said progress is being made in this area. "Each year we get a few more vendors," he said. "It's a slow process. Almost all the vendors from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) should be at the show, but to date, they haven't felt the numbers were there. I disagree. The people at our show are the buyers, and ASLA people don't buy very much."
Maintaining a strong educational focus will continue to drive more companies to the show, Doesburg added. "That's where the real value is," he said.
In the future, the show must continue to improve upon its one-stop shop image by adding more vendors, more educational sessions and new partnerships with green industry associations. "This has been a win-win-win situation for the associations, for their members and for vendors," Kujawa said. "This is powerful. I guess I'm like a proud parent. This is my crowning achievement."
The author is Associate Editor of Interior Business magazine.