Hardscape North America (HNA), held in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 17-19, welcomed 50 new exhibitors in 2018.
The co-location with GIE+EXPO added up to an additional 1,000 exhibits and provided HNA exhibitors exposure to more than 12,000 landscape and hardscape professionals. The total participation in HNA and GIE+EXPO was 24,796—a 3 percent increase over 2017.
“In speaking to many of the new exhibitors at HNA, I was happy to learn that they were pleased with the new three-day format, allowing contractors to attend on Wednesday, and their plans to return to HNA 2019,” said Charles McGrath, executive director of the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute. “HNA is now recognized as the national showplace for the hardscape industry, as well as the place to learn best practices for dealers and contractors.”
The preshow installer course registrations increased by 14 percent over 2017 for the sessions held Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown.
HNA’s six live hardscape demos featured a new format and presenter. Frank Bourque, an award-winning hardscape professional, speaker, writer, consultant and entrepreneur, led the sessions on how to install hardscapes around pools and water features for long-lasting results.
A new VIP pass gave attendees access to all conference sessions and demos for a 50 percent discount. More than 275 HNA registrants purchased the VIP pass, and a total of 1,025 had access to the live demos with either the VIP pass or the demo upgrade.
The HNA Installer Championship attracted much attention in the 20-acre Outdoor Demonstration Area. Five Regional Installer Championships took place in cities throughout the U.S., with the winners advancing to the final competition. In all, 19 teams competed on Thursday during HNA, and the four highest scoring teams moved on to Friday’s final Championship round. Ultimately, Segmental Systems from Otis Orchards, Wash., emerged as this year’s Champion. The HNA 2018 Champions received a prize package valued at approximately $12,650.
The HNA awards, which were presented on Oct. 18, drew a record number of 155 entries. Winners were recognized in 18 categories, while 18 honorable mentions were also named in 17 categories. New this year, categories were added for natural stone, outdoor living features and vintage projects installed before 2008. Winning entries can be found here.
The 2018 Platinum Sponsors for HNA were Belgard, Natural Paving USA, Keystone Hardscapes and World of Stones. The Gold Sponsors were Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply, Nicolock and Techniseal, and the Silver Sponsor was Pathfinder Systems. HNA is produced by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute and is endorsed by the Brick Industry Association and the National Concrete Masonry Association.
HNA 2019 will be held Oct. 16-18 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky.
