Strong Show Mirrors Healthy Industry: GIE Convention Showcase

The 1997 Green Industry Expo revamped its show format in Charlotte, N.C. and by most accounts it was a big success.

Exhibit and attendance records that fell this year included total square footage of exhibit space (70,700), number of companies participating in the outdoor demonstration (67) and total attendance at the outdoor demo (1,700).

The show added more educational opportunities on the Saturday of the event and pushed the outdoor demonstration up to Sunday to allow attendees to take advantage of Saturday stay travel savings. And to help increase traffic to the exhibit area, fewer seminars overlapped with exhibit floor hours.

The total attendee and exhibitor registration exceeded 5,000, according to GIE show officials. Registration for the Associated Landscape Contractors of America programs increased 38 percent, totaling more than 1,300 registrants. The Professional Lawn Care Association of America drew 595 attendees, up from 542 in 1996, and the Professional Grounds Management Society hosted 292 members, besting the 1996 registration of 240.