If it’s new, it’s here

Each year, professionals flock to Louisville to see the latest and greatest new products and equipment all in one place. And, the 2017 GIE+EXPO is shaping up to be the biggest ever.

Breaking last year’s records, show organizers say the indoor show floor will be about 50,000 feet larger. Attendees can expect about 1,000 Exhibits, 20% of which are new exhibitors. In addition, the popular Outdoor Demonstration Area has already exceeded last year’s record-breaking 20 acres.

Last year, more than 22,600 people from around the world walked the show floor to see what exhibitors were introducing at GIE+EXPO and the co-located Hardscape North America. With attendee registrations running 17% over last year, another huge crowd is expected.

Sam Stearns, owner of Mr. Mower Man, a dealer in southern Indiana, is attending the show for the sixth time this year. He says the show is a sort of vacation that rejuvenates him.

“It just kind of excites you when you see all that’s out there,” he says. “From my perspective, I feel like my business is on an upswing, which it has been for a long time now. I’m trying to grow; I’m trying to expand and you go to a show like this and you see the potential that’s out there. You see somebody there who maybe years ago was where I am now and I think, ‘I can get there.’”

At GIE+EXPO, more than 40 percent of education registrants are always first timers, and after their first year, they spend almost all of their time at the show on the exhibit floor and in the demo area. There’s a lot of ground to cover and there are tons of new products to see and test.

Indoors and outdoors, attendees will find all kinds of innovations like special edition models from ODES UTVs, a new ride-on brush cutter from Canycom, new tractors and implements from KITOI, an ECHO chain saw that the company touts as the lightest top-handle chain saw in North America and so much more.

“I attend to see what’s new. Looking at products in catalogs doesn't compare to coming to the show to see and test the new products in person,” says Michael Villwock, owner of Garden Creations by Mike in Berrien Springs, Michigan. “We're a full-service company so having hardscape and landscape equipment in one place is a real benefit."

The show also features the New Products Showcase, which sold out last year. It’s always a popular area of the show floor for attendees to get an overview of products introduced within the last year. "I enjoy coming to the show year after year to see all of the new products,” says Jonathon Johnson, Freeman Landscape in Wilmington, North Carolina. “We have definitely found things here that we can use in our business."

To register for the show, click here.