Start your engines revvin’ for GIE+EXPO 2011

 Davisson Brothers BandBy Steve Noe

Louisville, Ky., will be the center of the Green Industry universe Thursday, Oct. 27, through Saturday, Oct. 29, as nearly 500 exhibitors and 18,000 people are expected to converge on the Kentucky Exposition Center for the fifth annual Green Industry and Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO 2011).

Once again, all attendees will be treated to two shows in one with Hardscape North America co-locating with GIE+EXPO for the second consecutive year.

And there will be plenty to see and do for outdoor power equipment dealers.

For starters, GIE+EXPO will offer the brand-new Dealer Resource Pavilion. The pavilion will feature free education opportunities for dealership owners and managers from industry-leading experts, a dealer-only lounge, an Internet café, new products, and best-practice advice. In addition, the Dealer Resource Roundtable Breakfast will take place on Friday from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Admission to the Dealer Resource Pavilion is free with a tradeshow pass, with the exception of the Dealer Resource Roundtable Breakfast, which costs $25.

The number one reason that people attend GIE+EXPO is to see new products, and there certainly will be no shortage of them at the show. Plenty of new products will be on display inside the 500,000-square-foot indoor exhibit space, including the New Products Arena. If you want to test drive the new products, you will have a great opportunity to do so during the first two days of the show in the 19-acre outdoor demonstration area, located just outside the doors of the Kentucky Exposition Center.

Once the show ends each of the first two days, the fun will shift to downtown Louisville and 4th Street Live for free concerts. On Thursday, Stealing Angels will begin stealing hearts at 9 p.m. This country music band is made up of three women with impressive lineage. Tayla Lynn is the granddaughter and former backup singer for Country Music Hall of Famer Loretta Lynn; Jennifer Wayne is the granddaughter of John Wayne; and Caroline Cutbirth is a descendant of legendary pioneer Daniel Boone. (The Monarchs, a local rock ‘n roll band, will open at 7 p.m.) Speaking of legends, Charlie Daniels will celebrate his 75th birthday with a concert Friday at 9 p.m. He will be preceded by another country music group, the Davisson Brothers Band, at 8 p.m.

If you would like a chance to win a free iPad from Green Media, which publishes Outdoor Power Equipment, see the Touching Base raffle promotion game card that is inserted on page 7 in this issue.

For more information about GIE+EXPO 2011 or to register for the show online, visit www.gie-expo.com.