On the heels of a banner 2024, this year’s Hardscape North America (HNA) returned to the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Oct. 22-24, with a full slate of new and expanded educational opportunities and yet another sold-out exhibit floor filled with the latest hardscape products, services and solutions.
This year’s event featured hands-on training opportunities and a chance to try out the newest products on the market in both indoor and outdoor exhibit areas. The industry’s best also took center stage at HNA during the annual National Installer Championships and at a ceremony recognizing the winners of the HNA Awards.
“HNA isn’t just any event — it’s the place to be for the latest and greatest in hardscape and landscape products and cutting-edge technology,” said Bob Thomas, president and CEO of the Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association (CMHA), which produces HNA. “In fact, industry members return year after year to immerse themselves in hands-on demonstrations, explore innovations, connect with peers at one-of-a-kind networking events and take advantage of top-tier education and technical training.”
Class is in session
The HNA educational lineup for 2025 offered an expanded set of sessions covering a wide range of practical, timely topics designed to help contractors, dealers and design pros tackle current challenges and position themselves for future success.
Classroom sessions covered everything from AI-powered sales strategies, recruiting and retaining top talent and the latest trends in natural stone and pavers. A series of roundtable discussions also allowed attendees to focus on base compaction, new technologies, fire features, budgeting tips and breaking into the commercial market.
Outside of the classroom, HNA attendees got to check out hardscape demos in the outdoor Hardscape House area, which showcased best practices and techniques in retaining wall construction, paver installations, outdoor kitchen builds and much more.
Ready, set, build
In addition to the learning opportunities and exhibit areas at HNA 2025, fun was a key goal for the show, most notably at the National Installer Championships.
A field of 12 teams — including last year’s champions, Pavers by Porter from Sparks, Nev., and the top three teams from the National Collegiate Landscape Competition — competed for one of the top prizes in the hardscape industry. Teams had just 60 minutes to complete hardscape project work that might normally take a full day, with judges watching their every move.
The 12 teams that start in the preliminary round are whittled down to just four who compete in the final round, with bragging rights and a cash and equipment package worth nearly $30,000 on the line.
Top of the heap
The annual HNA Awards were also presented during the week at the Kentucky Exposition Center, recognizing the most outstanding hardscape projects in the U.S. and Canada during the previous year. The winning projects can be found here.
