2010 GIE+Expo: Lawn and grounds equipment, education and entertainment on tap

The Green Industry and Equipment Expo (GIE+Expo), America’s 14th largest tradeshow, is the place to be in late October. Grounds maintenance supervisors, golf course superintendents, municipal buyers, and others involved in the lawn and outdoor equipment market will converge at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky., October 28-30.

“Attendees will have the opportunity to view the newest in equipment and services as it relates to outdoor landscapes, turf maintenance and many other green industry topics,” Bill Harley told Govpro.com. Harley is president and CEO of the Alexandria, Va.-based Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), which is one of the owners and sponsors of GIE+Expo. “Let’s not forget that this is both an indoor exhibit ‚ 190,000 square feet of indoor static exhibits ‚ but also 20 acres of outside demo area where the equipment can be put to use and viewed in action.”

Participants can take advantage of the educational offerings during the show, as well the workshops, Harley said. “Parks and recreation directors, government property and grounds managers, public works directors and other government officials will get ideas on how to make operations more efficient and more green at the show,” he said. Harley’s group, the OPEI, is an international trade association representing the $15 billion landscape, lawn and garden, forestry and utility equipment manufacturing industry.

For 2010, the Hardscape North America (HNA) conference is co-located in Louisville with GIE+EXPO, October 28 ‚ 30. The addition offers new education opportunities to the thousands of lawn and landscape professionals that attend the GIE+EXPO, as well as new attractions for the 2,400 design-build contractors, architects and engineers that attend Hardscape North America each year.

Hardscape North America, sponsored by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI), is an annual event for those who manufacture, specify and install segmental pavement systems, segmental retaining walls, water features, outdoor kitchens and landscape environments for residential, commercial and institutional applications.

The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) education program at GIE+Expo promises something for everyone. A few of the course offerings include:

Thursday, Oct. 28
Managing Lawn Insects With Reduced Chemical Inputs
Daniel A. Potter, University of Kentucky

Designing and Constructing Exceptional Water Features (two parts)
David B. Duensing, David B. Duensing & Associates, Inc.

Friday, Oct. 29
Sustainable Landscape Solutions
Bob Grover, Pacific Landscape Management

How to Handle Violations, Citations, and Remediation for Work Site Hazards in the Green Industry
Dr. Sam Steel, Penn State University

Saturday, Oct.30
CEUs, Landscape Industry Certified and You ‚ A Clinic on Keeping Your PLANET Certification Active and Newly Branded for Success
Michael Becker, Estate Gardeners, Inc.

Green Roofs and Walls Clinic
George Irwin, Green Living Technologies

The 2010 GIE+EXPO has a wealth of workshops on tap, including:

Thursday, Oct. 28
“Xtreme Service = Xtreme Profits”
Ed Laflamme, The Harvest Group

What do customers want? How do you take your organization’s customer service to the next level? What does it take to raise the bar in your organization? In this session, learn the answers to the above questions and how to deliver those answers, systematically and consistently. The session shows how to:

* Be aware of and maximize every “touch point.”
* Use the “lollipop strategy” to sweeten the relationship.
* Educate customers and drive performance in an organization.
* Integrate extreme customer service (XCS) into an organization’s culture.
* Use “XCS” as the cheapest and most effective marketing tool.

Saturday, October 30
“27 Tips to Making Some Sales Right Now!”
Marty Grunder, Marty Grunder, Inc.

Marty Grunder is a national, award-winning landscape contractor who knows how to sell. At this energizing session he will offer tips on finding clients in the current economic environment.

Entertainment takes the stage at GIE+EXPO when country music artists Neal McCoy and Heidi Newfield perform at 4th Street Live! in downtown Louisville Thursday and Friday, October 28 and 29. Neal McCoy will perform Thursday night at 9 p.m., playing many of his hits like “Where Forever Begins,” “No Doubt About It,” “Wink” and “Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On.”

Heidi Newfield performs Friday night at 9 p.m. Formerly the lead singer of country group Trick Pony, Newfield has gone solo and will deliver hits from her debut album, “What Am I Waiting For.”

For more information, go to http://www.gie-expo.com/