The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) has announced that in 2022 it will move into 100 percent ownership of the GIE+EXPO, the international landscape, outdoor living and equipment exposition.
“GIE+EXPO has had an extraordinarily strong run since 2010 – posting records in attendance and booth space,” said Kris Kiser, president of OPEI and managing director of GIE+EXPO.
2019 was the sixth record-breaking year in a row for GIE+EXPO. The trade show is the annual gathering place for all segments of the outdoor power equipment and lawn & garden industry. The event has been sponsored by OPEI, Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) and National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP).
The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) has announced that in 2022 it will move into 100 percent ownership of the GIE+EXPO, the international landscape, outdoor living and equipment exposition.
“GIE+EXPO has had an extraordinarily strong run since 2010 – posting records in attendance and booth space,” said Kris Kiser, president of OPEI and managing director of GIE+EXPO.
2019 was the sixth record-breaking year in a row for GIE+EXPO. The trade show is the annual gathering place for all segments of the outdoor power equipment and lawn & garden industry. The event has been sponsored by OPEI, Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) and National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP).
“With this change in ownership structure of the show, OPEI will own the show in its entirety,” he said.
For more than a decade, NALP has held its annual meeting in Louisville in conjunction with GIE+EXPO. Before that, the association hosted an annual meeting and exposition (the Green Industry Expo) which traveled to different cities.
“We’ve enjoyed a strong partnership with the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, and we continue to work together on government relations and other important industry issues, but the time has come to provide members with a new annual meeting experience, so beginning in 2022, our conference will move to different cities,” said Britt Wood, NALP CEO.
NALP has assembled a planning task force, including industry suppliers and manufacturers, lawn care, maintenance, and design-build professionals, to provide guidance and input into the design of the new conference.
Member input is also being gathered to ensure that the conference provides the best education and networking opportunities while incorporating local facility tours and the latest innovations.
“We look forward to opening up new opportunities for attendees as we create the future NALP Annual Meeting experience, beginning in 2022,” said Wood. “In the meantime, we are focused on providing innovative and exceptional LANDSCAPES conferences for the next two years in Louisville.”
Kiser pointed out that GIE+EXPO will continue to work with landscape industry partners to provide attendees with training and other programmatic elements at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
“We look forward to the continued evolution and dynamic growth of GIE+EXPO in Louisville in the future,” he said.
The industry’s largest show hosted more than 1,000 exhibitors and more than 20 acres of outdoor demonstration area for attendees to ride, drive, dig, and cut with the industry’s latest equipment. More than 26,500 contractors, dealers, and exhibitors attended from all 50 states and more than 40 countries.
New features at the 2019 GIE+EXPO included in-tree training from the Women’s Tree Climbing Workshop, whose team of climbers demonstrated arbor safety and climbing skills in a 60-foot sugar maple erected in Freedom Hall for the purpose, as well as the second-annual Lucky’s Mutt Madness rescue dog adoption event held in partnership with the Kentucky Humane Society.
Kiser noted that GIE+EXPO will continue to offer education, training, and certification in all segments of the OPE industry, including landscape, hardscape, lighting, snow and ice management, tree care, and irrigation for landscapers, hardscapers, dealers, distributors, and contractors.
GIE+EXPO 2020 is set for October 21-23. Attendees can expect hands-on drone training, expanded tree care demonstrations, a UTV test track, as well as continued co-location with Hardscape North America.
“OPEI has signed an extension agreement for the show from 2022-2024 with the Kentucky Exposition Center and area hotels in Louisville for the future,” Kiser said. “GIE+EXPO has always been the industry’s family reunion, and the place to be if you’re in this business. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with our partners to provide the best training, education, and hands-on learning for the entire industry.”
