Upfront: My top 8 reasons to attend GIE+EXPO 2010
By Steve Noe
If you’ve booked your trip to this year’s Green Industry and Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO) –which will be held Thursday, Oct. 28, through Saturday, Oct. 30, at Louisville’s Kentucky Exposition Center — and are seeking more information about the show, you’ve come to the right place with extensive pre-show coverage in this edition of OPE. And, if you have not booked your trip because you have procrastinated or are undecided, you’ve also come to the right place as I will now give you a pep talk.
This year will mark the 13th consecutive year that I’ve journeyed to Louisville for the show, and each year, I get excited about attending it for different reasons. This year, my top 8 reasons are as follows:
#8 Louisville night life: After my first few years of attending the then-International Lawn, Garden & Power Equipment Expo (a.k.a. EXPO) — and staying at the Seelbach Hotel on 4th Street near a deserted-looking mall called the Louisville Galleria — I never imagined that I would list this as a reason. However, that all changed when the Louisville Galleria was demolished and replaced in 2004 by “4th Street Live” — a 350,000-square-foot complex that revitalized downtown Louisville with its wide selection of restaurants, nightclubs and entertainment venues. For more information, visit www.4thstlive.com.
#7 Free concerts: “4th Street Live” is not only home to many hot spots, but it’s also a great venue to catch a concert, especially when it is free. This year, GIE+EXPO will bring you two free concerts at “4th Street Live,” with Neal McCoy performing on Thursday and Heidi Newfield on Friday. Both concerts start at 9 p.m. EXPO 2004 attendees may recall seeing Newfield in concert when she was the lead singer of Trick Pony before she launched her solo career.
#6 Outdoor demo area: Where else can you go to kick tires and test-drive 19 acres of equipment? Also, in the parking lot north of the outdoor demo area, be sure to check out the challenging obstacle course, where Walker Mower operators will compete for the always-entertaining Walker World Championship!
#5 Hardscape North America: With Hardscape North America — a trade show for hardscape contractors and distributors — co-locating with GIE+EXPO, you have a golden opportunity to learn how to expand your business by offering hardscape products to contractors during a program that will be held at Louisville’s Hyatt Regency on Wednesday, Oct. 27, the day before GIE+EXPO begins. This program will be open to OPE dealers and distributors.
#4 High-Performance Parts and Accessories Department: Building on the success of last year’s High-Performance Service Department, Bob Clements International will return to lead the High-Performance Parts and Accessories Department. This new attraction will provide you with an informative mix of education, displays and demonstrations on how to maximize your shop’s profit-making potential.
#3 The Dealer Experience: With a theme of “The Magic of Profitability during Challenging Times,” this year’s Dealer Experience will feature roundtable discussions with fellow dealers, an open forum with industry leaders, and the secrets of Walt Disney World’s success with customer loyalty and leadership from keynote speaker Doug Lipp, a former head of training at Walt Disney University. Having recently returned from a family vacation to Walt Disney World and witnessed Disney’s magic firsthand, I think that all of us stand to learn something from Mr. Lipp.
#2 New products: Show Director Warren Sellers has said repeatedly throughout the years that research indicates the No. 1 reason that people attend GIE+EXPO is to see new products. And one of the best places to see and hear about new products is the New Products Arena, where they are not only on display but also discussed at great length during press conferences that are conducted on stage and open to attendees.
#1 Networking: There is no better place than GIE+EXPO to meet or re-connect with so many key contacts in this great industry. The face-to-face interaction is priceless.
Hope to see you at the show!
OPE Editor Steve Noe
snoe@m2media360.com
