The Show Goes On…Next September

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mark your calendars – The International Lawn, Garden & Power Equipment Expo (EXPO) dates are set for Sept. 24 to 26, 2004 – same place, same season.

This year’s move to more temperate October dates earned praise from attendees, who are used to walking the show in humid July. The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, which sponsors the annual trade show, plans to preserve the October dates future, noted Warren Sellers, show director.
Because the schedule is based on facility availability, EXPO will gear up in late September next year. But beginning with 2005, EXPO has contracted with the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky., to keep dates in October, Sellers said.

And attendees who walked this year’s show reported positive feedback, noting they were able to bring more people to the show. Similarly, the timing in the production cycle allowed manufacturers to introduce more products. Most of all, the pleasant climate offered a more favorable atmosphere in the outdoor demonstration area for dealers and manufacturers to interact – a key reason why attendees go to trade shows.

“It’s very important to have face-to-face and personal contact with people you work with throughout the year,” noted Nick Stergos, a dealer with Rigg’s Mowers & More, Valparaiso, Ind. “The change of dates is great because it’s not during our busy season.”

Following the 2003 show, informal feedback from attendees and exhibitors indicated a preference for a Friday, Saturday, Sunday format, which the show management put in place for 2004, Sellers noted.

Meanwhile, the $52-million expansion of the exposition center is underway in the south wing. The project will add 166,500 square feet of prime exhibit space, 57,000 square feet of additional meeting and conference space, and a larger reception area to the existing facility, Sellers said.

“The advantage of this expansion for EXPO is that it will allow us to move the entire show into the south wing, which has higher ceilings and better lighting than the east wing, where we currently have some exhibits,” Sellers explained. “Also, the south wing doesn’t have the obstructive columns that we have to contend with in the east wing.”

For more information about EXPO 2004, visit www.expo.mow.org or call Sellers Expositions at 800/558-8767.

The author is a Contributing Editor to Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at khampshire@lawnandlandscape.com.