"BIG CHANGES" PROMISED FOR 2024 EDITION

Equip Exposition, the trade show for the international outdoor power equipment industry, will once again take over the city of Louisville, USA, from October 15-18, 2024. “Only this year, we’re making some fundamental shifts and improvements that will elevate the show to the next level,” says Kris Kiser, President and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), which owns and manages the show.

New for this year, 2024 attendees can expect:

• A Tuesday evening Welcome Reception at Churchill Downs, which is marking the 150th anniversary of the Kentucky Derby this year
• A special happy hour in Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC) starting just after the show closes on Wednesday.
• A Thursday evening arena concert at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville featuring multi-platinum entertainer and musician, Trace Adkins.
• The return of the successful and well-attended Women’s Reception.
• More opportunities to connect in-person with social media influencers at events like the Morning Show at Expo..
• Improved logistics, including a shuttle bus drop-off at the West Wing which will improve parking lot congestion.
• Kevin O’Connor from This Old House as keynote speaker.
• Expanded Spanish-language education focused on helping crew leaders become better managers. 

Kris continued, "We’ve listened to our attendees, and are adding new experiences to give them more of what they want: Being with their peers, talking about business struggles and getting real answers.

“There’s no other place where landscapers, equipment manufacturers and dealers can come together to talk to each other, peer to peer, in such a supportive environment. Whether you need help with people, products or processes, the answers to your questions are at Expo.”

Equip Expo features over a million square feet of exhibits and a 30-acre Outdoor Demo Yard. The 2023 show brought together more than 27,000 participants from all 50 U.S states and 46 countries. Landscape contractor registrations increased by 20 percent over the previous year, and dealers were up five percent.

“We’re always in expansion mode," said Kris. "Due to space demand last year, we opened up the West Wing to exhibitors to great success. And we’re going to improve the exhibitor experience there in 2024 by making the West Wing a much larger hub of activity, including putting our pet adoption event Mutt Madness, and the main food offerings there, as well as the Drone Zone, a golf simulation and an attendee lounge.”

The show takes place every October and brings more than $21 million to the city. “Louisville is a fantastic place for us; it’s the home for our global industry event," explained Kris. "But since we take over Louisville for four days, I’m giving one word of advice: book your hotel and airline tickets early if you want to attend this year’s show. Those two things will grow scarcer with every passing month. And you won’t want to miss Expo - not this year.” 

Registration for the 2024 show is now open.