Louisville, KY (October 29, 2024)—Equip Exposition, the international landscape, outdoor living, and equipment exposition, again broke attendance records, with more than 28,500 registrants and significant growth in contractor categories.
With more than 1.2 million square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibit space, Equip Exposition is one of the largest trade shows in the United States and was held October 15-18. The blockbuster trade show takes place every October in the Derby City and brings more than $25 million annually to Louisville.
“For the third year in a row, Equip Exposition is breaking records,” said Kris Kiser, President and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), which has owned and managed the trade show outright since 2022. He noted that the show broke records in 2022 with 25,000 attendees and again last year with 27,000. “Equip is bigger and better every year in new ways. As the industry grows and expands, we are helping people grow their businesses and keep up with the latest trends.”
Since assuming management of the trade show in 2022 that draws hundreds of manufacturers and suppliers for the outdoor services industry, OPEI has worked to energize Equip Exposition’s offerings for attendees, while delivering more of what attendees appreciate. Excitement to exhibit at the show is so high, that the last available exhibit space was purchased more than two months before the show opened.
This year’s attendees enjoyed a keynote address from This Old House host and home improvement expert, Kevin O’Connor, sponsored by Kress. They also took in the second-ever arena concert at the KEF Yum! Center featuring Trace Adkins, sponsored by Senix, Toro, Bobcat and Gravely, as well as a Welcome Reception at iconic Churchill Downs, sponsored by CAT®.
With co-location partner Hardscape North America, the trade show fully occupied the North, East and South halls of the Kentucky Exposition Center with expanded square footage in the West Wing.
Plans for 2025 are already under way, including a Welcome Reception at Churchill Downs, as well as another arena concert at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. The Outdoor Demo Yard will be reconfigured, shifting the UTV track to a larger space due to popular demand, and closing some of the A Lot parking to provide a unique, dedicated space for boom trucks, lifts, and other large vehicles.
And new in 2025, Equip Exposition will launch a boutique, small-batch bourbon produced exclusively for the trade show – and is asking attendees to help name it. “We look forward to engaging our audience in naming the first official Equip bourbon,” Kiser said. “Our attendees have long enjoyed the unique experience of the Bourbon Trail and Urban Bourbon Trail, and can now take part in another one-of-a-kind Equip experience in 2025.”
Equip Exposition, the international landscape, outdoor living, and equipment exposition, is held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, and is one of the largest, annual trade shows in the United States, and is co-located with Hardscape North America. In 2023, the show received two Grand Awards in Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 Awards program: “Most Innovative Show” and the “Slam Dunk Award: Best New Idea.” The show has been nominated for three more awards in 2024. Equip publishes equip magazine and is owned and managed by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, an international trade association representing manufacturers of outdoor power equipment, parts, small engines, battery power systems, portable generators, utility and personal transport vehicles, and golf cars, and their suppliers. For more information visit www.EquipExposition.com.