I attended the Green Industry and Equipment Expo last week in Louisville, and as I do with all trade shows, I came away with interesting observations.
The show featured outdoor power equipment, lawn and garden products, and light construction and landscape equipment from about 650 exhibitors. It also provided attendees with educational opportunities, some of which touched on the environmental impact of landscape management. Quick observations:
*Attendance – With the struggling economy grabbing headlines these days, I thought I would notice a dip in the number of attendees or exhibitors. I did not attend last year, but those who did thought it was just the opposite. Attendees were interested in hearing about new products and manufacturers were more than willing to share information about their newest lines of equipment.
*Green focus – The attendees I spoke with said one of their main reasons for attending the show was learning about sustainability relating to grounds management, including alternative fuels, the use of chemicals, and equipment emissions. Many manufacturers touted their movement toward alternative fuels in mowers and utility vehicles, which I expected. What I did not expect was the number of manufacturers who did not seem sold on the use of alternative fuels in their equipment. I got the impression some vendors were even proud of the fact they only have equipment that burns gas or diesel fuel.
*Water conservation – A really interesting nugget I didn’t know before the show – though many attendees probably did – is turf grass is the most irrigated crop in the United States. That would explain the attendee interest in an educational session focused on irrigation and water management. The presenter discussed technology advances implemented on new irrigation products, but attendees were just as interested in being able to apply those new technologies to existing products.
*The paper trail –The amount of paper used for manufacturer press releases, packets, folders, etc., was overwhelming. I know this is the case with most trade shows, but don’t CDs or jump drives do the trick and eliminate all that potential waste?