Equip Exposition, the international landscape, outdoor living, and equipment exposition, posted another year of record attendance with nearly 30,000 registered attendees and double-digit growth in both landscaper and dealer audiences.
“Now in our fourth year as Equip, we continue to break records in both attendance and exhibit space,” said Kris Kiser, President and CEO of OPEI, which owns and manages Equip Exposition. “The show, which was recently named Greatest Trade Show in the country, continues to serve as the most important gathering for the global industry, with attendance from all 50 states and 52 countries.”
Equip, with more than 1.2 million square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibit space, was named the third-largest trade show in the United States and named the “Greatest Trade Show of 2024” by Trade Show Executive magazine during its Gold 100 Awards & Summit earlier this fall. This year, landscaper attendance grew 12% and dealer attendance grew 17%. The blockbuster trade show, along with its co-location partner Hardscape North America, brings more than $30 million annually to Louisville.
Since OPEI took on full ownership and management of the show in 2022, it has seen record attendance and sold-out exhibit space every year.
“Our team continues to evolve the show to bring attendees the best programming and allow peer-to-peer connections they aren’t able to have anywhere else,” Kiser said. “We’re already hard at work on next year’s event to ensure it remains the greatest show in our industry.”
This year’s show, held October 21 to 24, featured a standing-room-only keynote address from Jesse Cole, creator of the Savannah Bananas, sponsored by Kress. Attendees opened the show with a Welcome Reception at the iconic Churchill Downs raceway, sponsored by CAT, took in a concert featuring Big and Rich with Gretchen Wilson, sponsored by Gravely, and took part in the annual TurfMutt Fun Run and 5K, sponsored by Active Dynamics.
Also new in 2025 was the Equip Creator Space, which allowed attendees to connect with industry influencers on the trade show floor. And the event again hosted Mulligan’s Mutt Madness, a national dog adoption event held in conjunction with the Kentucky Humane Society, which found forever homes for 13 dogs.
Equip offers attendees a broad lineup of education in both English and Spanish. Expanded education offerings this year included sessions focused on irrigation, outdoor lighting, erosion control, and tree care. Equip’s education partners include Landscape Management magazine, the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals, Bob Clements International, Consumer Reports, CultureID, the Davey Institute, the Equipment and Engine Training Council, the International Erosion Control Association, the Farnsworth Group, the International Society of Arboriculture, the Irrigation Association, the North American Equipment Dealers Association, the Professional Grounds Management Society, and Texas A&M University.
The 2026 Equip will again feature a custom small-batch bourbon to be named by a show attendee and an expanded Tree Care Arena. And plans for future shows are also in the works. The Kentucky Exposition Center is currently undergoing a $400 million expansion, part of which will continue to impact the facility over the next few years. The OPEI Board of Directors is exploring rotating to new cities during this renovation window and returning to Louisville once complete.
“With anticipated construction at the Kentucky Exposition Center that could impact the South Wing loading docks and other parts of the show floor, we are looking at rotating Equip in 2028 and 2029, and returning to Louisville after the construction is finished,” Kiser said. “Louisville has been our home for 42 years, and we are excited to see the changes coming to the KEC that will improve the experience for both attendees and exhibitors.”
