Picture this:
It’s the week before Equip Expo 2024 kick offs, and you’ve been looking forward to this event since you registered earlier in the year.
You own a growing landscape business, and you’re looking for some inspiration on how to continue this growth in a financially sustainable way.
You’ve attended the show a few times in the past, but this year, you’ve decided to bring several members of your company, so you can divide and conquer.
The “100 days of hell” at the beginning of the season rendered you sleepless for more nights than you’d care to admit, and in addition to seeking out classes to bolster your recruitment and retention efforts, you also want your current employees to undergo training of their own.
You’ve tasked everyone with taking notes so that you can share what you’ve all learned when you get back into the office. (You’ve been to one too many conferences where you take all the notes in the world, only to get back to the office and not act on any of them.)
You’re also pumped to see if any of the new equipment can help you fill the labor gap you’re still struggling with—and, let’s be honest, you’re eager to hop on a few machines yourself in the demo yard. It’s been quite a long time since you’ve gotten your boots muddy (working on the business versus in the business and all that), and you’ve heard a lot of buzz about what will be showcased.
Speaking of the demo yard, you decide to throw into your bag an extra pair of shorts, long pants and a sweatshirt—and, what the heck, a hat, too—into your bag because if past years taught you anything, it’s that Louisville in October could be 80 degrees and sunny or 50 degrees and misty. Plus, socializing on the balconies of Fourth Street Live! in the evenings could be chilly, too.
You’ve checked and double checked your backpack for your notebook, business cards and registration information. Your email inbox holds your hotel information, and you’ve downloaded the app and selected which classes you and your employees will attend.
And finally, you feel that you’re packed and ready to go. You take a deep breath and get set for a whirlwind of a week, filled with learning, catching up with old friends and making new ones and putting your best foot forward.
Editor’s Note: This is a fictional experience written for the sake of creativity. However, quotes are real, and all events mentioned will be happening at the show.
Preshow
You’re not one to sleep on planes, so en route to the trade show, you decide to check out an article in Green Industry Pros about what’s in store for this year’s show.
Kris Kiser, CEO and president of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, the organization that owns Equip Expo, had a lot to say.
“We’re sold out, and that’s with the expanded West Wing,” Kiser said. “We’re 41 years young, and it’s been larger each of the last three years with exhibitor records and attendance records, so we’re doing something right. It’s a business-to-business show, so people are finding value in it.”
You read on that some of the classes will allow participants to gain their application certification in states including Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Texas and make a note to text your buddy in Ohio to see if he’s planning on attending those sessions.
In the article, Kiser points out a few other new offerings at this year’s show:
- A new product showcase with offerings in the pool and spa space
- A garden center in the West Wing
- An expanded West Wing
- The opening reception held at the iconic Churchill Downs
- A Wednesday happy hour on the show floor will be expanded from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a performance by The Crashers, the house band for the 2024 Equip Exposition, performing in Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Expo Center from 5–7:30 p.m. The event will take place right after the trade show hours end and will include food, drinks and networking.
- Trace Adkins will headline the concert Thursday night at the KFC Yum! Center Arena, with an opening performance by Clayton Q.
- Kevin O’Connor from This Old House will deliver the keynote speech on Wednesday morning
- A new Certification Center where attendees can take courses in weed management, pesticide application, tree and plant health management, tree/shrub pruning and pesticide safety.
“We talk a lot to our attendees and ask them what they want,” Kiser told Green Industry Pros. “They like the opportunities to engage socially, where they can learn peer to peer and have conversations. We’re listening, we’re surveying our attendees, we’re surveying our exhibitors and we’re making the changes because now it’s our decision alone, and we’re capitalizing in a way that we can put on these big events for our attendees to make it the best possible.”
You flip the page of the article to find that Kiser and others have also provided advice for first-time attendees.
“You should plan for this show—find your hotel room, plan your restaurant reservation,” Kiser said. “We’re a citywide event, with 27,000 people at the show. If you want to have the experience you want to have, that means planning.”
You dog-ear the page and pull out your notebook to jot a few things down to share with your staff.
- Write down a list of questions for exhibitors and ask questions about price point, group purchasing, training, equipment availability, etc.
- Take a look at shuttle and transportation options.
- Look at the calendar of events and plan out which activities you will attend and download the app.
- Initiate conversations with other attendees about their opportunities, their challenges and their reasons for being at the show.
- Take a look at the trade show floor layout in advance and plan out who you’d like to see.
- Wear comfortable shoes and layer your clothing. You may even want to pack rain gear.
- For battery-powered equipment, ask about recycling and life cycle.
- Plan to be at the show for the full three days.
- Slot in time to partake in the social activities in the evenings.
- After the show, complete Equip Expo’s surveys to provide feedback for upcoming years.
As you finish up the article, there’s one quote from Kiser in particular that stands out to you.
“One of the unique things about our trade show is the exhibitors typically have a wide range of personnel on the floor, so it’s not just a selling show where you come and look at the shiny stuff,” Kiser said. “They'll have the people that designed the product, built the product, engineered the product, that designed the safety standards for the product, as well as executive leadership. The nice thing is that there’s personnel there to help you understand, demonstrate, see and drive the machines that may be best for your particular niche.”
You pat yourself again on the back for encouraging everyone to dress for the demo yard in addition to the exhibition floor and education sessions.
The article ends with people discussing their favorite parts of the show.
One of the sources, James Fritz, founder and CEO of Reinigen Lawns in Bellmore, New York, said he appreciates how the show highlights what’s new to the industry.
Fritz told Green Industry Pros, “I like speaking with the different vendors and understanding what’s new to the industry, what’s changing, feedback from them on how they improve things, as well some of the classes that are offered so we can educate on certain areas. Sometimes it’s nice to hear a different point of view on it.”
During the show
You’ve been walking the trade show floor and demo yard for two days now, and you’ve got the lay of the land.
So far, you’ve seen new equipment revolving around battery power, robotics, artificial intelligence and so much more. It makes your head spin how much equipment you’ve seen, and you pat your backpack to ensure you still have all the business cards to follow up afterward. You’ve also already connected with quite a few fellow attendees via LinkedIn on the spot.
On Wednesday morning, bright and early, you paid a visit to the Green Industry Pros booth to tune in live to the Turf’s Up Radio News broadcast that Darren Gruner, founder and CEO of Turf’s Up Radio, and Sarah Webb, editor of Green Industry Pros, were putting on from the Green Industry Pros booth (No. 9048). You got the scoop from them on what’s out there on the exhibit floor and what trends they’re seeing lately.
“The excitement is buzzing like a beehive as we gear up for the Equip Expo! This isn’t just another event; it’s a place where industry vibes meet the thrill of new tech and tools,” Gruner said at the beginning of the show. “We’re all set to bring you live updates that’ll buzz through your feed and give you a front-row seat to all the action.”
On Wednesday morning, after the broadcast, you caught up with Jared Nuessen, senior product marketing manager at Toro, to discuss the company’s tried-and-true products and newer innovations like its autonomous solutions.
Nuessen discussed how many manufacturers are exploring how autonomous machines can fill the gap left by worker shortages by complementing the work of the crews.
Nuessen said, “One of the biggest issues in the green industry is labor shortages. We’ve been seeing equipment trends designed to help address this issue and have been hard at work on our own solutions. We’ve always emphasized connecting with customers and learning more about the challenges they face and how we can help, but this year, we’re also focusing on demonstrating to customers how Toro can solve their challenges holistically.”
Wednesday afternoon, you visited the Develon booth and checked out the company’s expansion of its compact equipment line.
You met with Winta Bereket, marketing manager at Develon, who told you and talked about current trends.
She said, “This is our first time exhibiting at Equip Expo, and although we’re new to this industry, safety is a significant trend. We’re pleased to offer safety features on our compact equipment.”
Bereket also encouraged you to test drive the company’s new equipment offerings in the demo yard. You made a note to spend some time in the yard in the afternoon.
At lunch in Freedom Hall on Thursday, you sat with your team member Jane, as well as Adam Linnemann, owner and founder of Linnemann Lawn Care and Landscaping and The Green Executive, someone you’d met at a past show.
You discussed how many times you each have been to the show and why you continue to come.
Linnemann said, “I think the biggest thing for any contractor is the networking and building relationships with the vendors that are there on-site and to meet other industry professionals. I just enjoy meeting up and having discussions and talking industry with everybody on that end of things.”
After parting ways with Linnemann, you and Jane walk back into the exhibit hall to tackle the rest of the day.
Jane said she’s had an excellent day in the demo yard so far and that she’s really looking forward to the evening’s Women’s Reception. She’d heard great things about the event the past—about how motivating and inspiring it is to find other women in the industry who share her challenges and successes. You’re happy she gets to connect with other women in the industry.
You look at your calendar and see that you have an appointment coming up at the Husqvarna booth with Alex Trimboli, marketing director, Husqvarna Group, North America..
You’re looking into new technology solutions, including battery power and robotic mowers, both of which Husqvarna will be showcasing.
Trimboli at Husqvarna confirms that you’re in the right place when she said, “Landscape professionals should expect to see a continued emphasis on robotics and battery tools as battery adoption continues to increase and regulations develop. Robotic mowers are a key trend, offering significant time savings and operational efficiency. There’s also growing interest in versatile handheld tools that combine power with eco-friendly options, like our battery-powered equipment.”
Looking back at the list of questions you jotted down, you ask Trimboli about warranty and service options, how this equipment will increase your overall efficiency and about the pros and cons of battery-powered equipment.
Next, it’s time for you to attend another education session. After all, it’s not just your staff that needs to stay up to date on the latest techniques and best practices. The speaker is engaging, and you feel satisfied that you have almost filled a whole notebook with notes to bring back to your team when you meet next Monday morning.
On your way to your next appointment, you run into your other coworker John, who also discussed battery power with Tony Buxton, director of product marketing for Milwaukee Tool.
He said they discussed breadth of line and battery capability, equipment performance, energy requirement and power management solutions.
Buxton told John, “Ask questions about how these technologies can be integrated into your daily workflows and observe demonstrations to see the performance in action. Understanding how the new tools and charging solutions can streamline your operations and improve efficiency will be crucial for making informed decisions about upgrading your equipment. Additionally, explore the versatility of the battery platforms to see how a single system can power a wide range of solutions. Overall, be proactive in exploring the latest advancements and take the time to see how these innovations can specifically meet your needs and elevate your operations.”
All too soon, it's Friday, and you’re tired after the Trace Adkinson concert, but you check your list of must-see exhibitors and find you have time to circle back for follow-up questions and also to explore like-to-see exhibitors on your list.
On your way to one last exhibitor, you catch up with your employee Jim, who is more invigorated about the job than you’ve seen him in months. He nearly talks your ear off about all the exhibitors he’s visited and even about a segment of the Installation Championships at the Hardscape House he managed to catch.
Jim said that he also met up with COO Joseph Pascaretta at WorkWave, who talked about all the new technology available to landscape pros.
Pascaretta said, “AI technology is going to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds this year as we’ve seen incredible strides in technology over the last year alone. These technologies are getting integrated into routing, back office and even financial offerings, so it will be really exciting to see what other companies are doing and how our customers can utilize them. Technological advances are changing the way field service companies have traditionally done business and are in turn changing what people tend to think of as a field service provider.”
Despite your tired feet, the morning flies by, and before you know it, it’s 2 p.m. and the show floor is closing.
After the show
Just because you’ve made it back to the office—with, miraculously, no flight issues—you know the work isn’t done.
You sit down with your team to discuss some of the top trends they witnessed and how to implement their new ideas.
Among the top trends included robotic equipment, battery power, autonomous capability and technology poised to make their lives easier. They also said they learned a lot in the education sessions about how to diversify in the “offseason” through avenues like tree care, lighting, irrigation and pool and spa.
You bring out the old-fashioned white board and ask each team member to expand upon one of their ideas and together, you brainstorm to create an actionable to-do list to implement each of these goals—even if it’s something as simple as how to make morning rollout more effective.
You remind them—and yourself—that not everything has to be done at once. After all, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. However, it’s important to not just shuffle everything everyone learned under the rug.
At the end of the meeting, you encourage everyone to connect with everyone they met with on LinkedIn and send a message to product managers they met to thank them for their time and ask any follow-up questions they have.
And now, while the work will continue into the offseason, you can finally relax after a job well done. An Equip well done.
Why Louisville
Kiser likens the Louisville to the “Goldilocks City” for the location of the event.
“It’s easy to get to, reasonably priced and we don’t want to be Las Vegas, Orlando or Nashville. We want a much more intimate experience,” Kiser said. “People can get around the city, and we’re working on getting more hotel rooms built, but we’re as comfortable here as home.”
Kiser adds that Equip Expo continues to partner with the city.
“They work hard to make our attendees feel at home here,” Kiser said. “We have folks who come year over year, and it’s nice to know the city. We’ve made the decision that we’re going to stay in Louisville.”
Returning this year:
- Mulligan’s 5K Fun Run and Walk
- Co-location with Hardscape North America, which will feature 1,000-plus exhibits, education sessions and the Hardscape House featuring hands-on demonstrations, the Installer Championships and more.
- A drone zone
- Select classes offered in Spanish
- The Morning Show at Equip on Thursday at 8 a.m.
- The Women’s Reception on Thursday evening
Callout quote:
“It’s a family reunion for me. I’ve seen the evolution of the show and the people whose businesses are changing. Technology is changing, the products are changing, the business models are changing and challenges are changing. That’s why I say it’s a fun and engaging show. Everybody who comes here says there's always something new or different every year and that's key to keep it fresh.” – Kris Kiser
