When you work for a trade publication such as Landscape Management, reporting on industry conferences and trade shows is part and parcel of your editorial content.
It would almost be a dereliction of duty if it were any other way. These events are focal points for an industry, a chance to bring people together to learn, network and celebrate what makes their industry unique. It’s where news is made and stories are shared, so trade pubs like ours wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t talk about them.
Trade shows and conferences are also great measuring sticks for the health of an industry. Of course, they’re not the only ones, but if an industry’s biggest events attract attendees, exhibitors and a broad spectrum of attention — even among those who can’t attend in person — chances are that industry is pretty dang healthy.
By that measure, then, the landscaping industry must be very, very healthy. Like setting-a-personal-record-in-the-steeplechase healthy. Or breaking-a-world-record-in-synchronized-swimming healthy. Maybe taking-the-gold-in-Greco-Roman-wrestling healthy. (Sorry … there’s a decent chance I watched way too much Olympic coverage.)
Even before joining LM, I was certainly aware of Equip Exposition — which anchors the content in this issue — and Elevate — which you’ll read more about in upcoming issues. What I wasn’t quite as familiar with was just how successful both shows have been in recent years, which is excellent news for the industry that they serve.
The 2023 edition of Equip Expo broke records for attendance (27,000) and exhibit sales (over a million square feet of exhibit space), earning it a spot on Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 list as one of the largest trade shows in the country. And the upcoming 2024 version — Oct. 15-19 in Louisville, Ky. — looks like it will offer more of the same; exhibit space sold out almost three months before the show’s opening.
Elevate is a relatively new entrant in the marketplace; this year’s event, set for Nov. 3-6 in Charlotte, N.C., will be the third edition. And while it’s a more intimate affair by design than Equip, it’s equally robust … and it’s growing. Attendance rose from 1,250 attendees the first year to over 2,000 last year, and expectations are for more of the same this go-around.
Toss in the annual Irrigation Show — the 2024 event is Nov. 6-7 in Long Beach, Calif. — and countless popular regional events that take place from coast to coast, and you see why so many arrows are pointing up for this industry. At LM, we share that optimism, which manifests itself in the official media partnerships we have with the sponsoring organizations of both Equip Expo (the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute) and Elevate (the National Association of Landscape Professionals).
At both events, LM will have prominent spots on the trade show floor where we’ll interact with readers and spend time with exhibitors to learn about the new products and services they’ll have on display there.At Equip Expo, the magazine will also present 15 high-level educational sessions led by some of the industry’s leading voices for landscape contractors and lawn care operators. Equip Expo is offering LM readers a 50 percent discount on registration to help you take advantage of these opportunities. Check out the Equip Expo website to take advantage of this special offer.
And even if you’re not able to join us in Louisville or Charlotte, you’ll still be able to keep tabs on everything going on at these two industry events by following LM’s website, its social media channels and, down the line, the print editions of the magazine.
As someone with plenty of experience with trade shows and conferences in my previous life, I can confidently tell you that these events are massively important to the industries they serve. When they succeed, they should inspire plenty of confidence and pride in those same industries. Whether you’re on the ground with us at Equip Expo and Elevate or joining us from home, we hope you’ll take the opportunity to celebrate right along with us.
