Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/49497
Upfront Looking back, and ahead, at GIE+EXPO I Editor Steve Noe snoe@m2media360.com M2MEDIA360 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068 Phone: (847) 720-5600 • Fax: (847) 720-5601 www.outdoorpowerequipment.com OPE Staff f you missed any or all of the Green Industry and Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO) — which was held Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 27-29, at Louisville's Kentucky Exposition Center — you have come to the right place. In this edition of Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE), I will share with you my extensive coverage of the show in this column, as well as in the "GIE+EXPO 2011 recap" on pages 10-24 and 38. Addi- tional coverage can be found at www.outdoorpowerequipment.com. For starters, managers of GIE+EXPO and Hardscape North America (HNA) reported that total participation at the combined event was approximately 17,900. GIE+EXPO and HNA drew a combined 590 exhibiting companies, including 125 that did not exhibit at the shows in 2010. Plus, 113 companies exhibited in the adjacent, 19-acre Outdoor Demonstration Area. Highlights included the Dealer Resource Pavilion, which offered free educational opportunities for dealership owners and managers from industry experts; the sold-out New Products Arena, which featured 66 products from 46 exhibitors; and a dozen press conferences held on the New Products Arena stage. In addition, show goers were treated to free evening concerts at downtown Louisville's 4th Street Live by Stealing Angels and The Monarchs on Thursday, as well as the Davisson Brothers Band and The Charlie Daniels Band on Friday. "I think our 2011 event was the best in recent history," said Show Director Warren Sellers. "We are very excited about the glowing exhibitor feedback we have received." Format changes for 2012: Instead of following the traditional Thursday-through-Saturday for- mat, GIE+EXPO 2012 will be held Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 24-Oct. 26. But that's just the beginning of the format changes. GIE+EXPO's Policy Advisory Board has agreed to designate a day — Wednesday, Oct. 24 — exclusively for dealers, retailers and distributors to receive the opportunity to meet one on one with exhibitors, and preview the products at GIE+EXPO and HNA. Meeting rooms at the Kentucky Exposition Center will be made available for exhibitors to host dealer meetings Monday, Oct. 22, through Wednesday, Oct. 24, leading up to the show opening on Wednesday afternoon. During a Wednesday-evening reception for dealers, retailers and distributors on the show floor, exhibitors will be encouraged to hold special events in their booths. GIE+EXPO, HNA and the Outdoor Demo Area will be open to all industry participants on Thursday, Oct. 25, and Friday, Oct. 26. The show will close Friday at 5 p.m. "We hope this new plan will save exhibitors and dealers money and time by consolidating travel and meetings," said Sellers. Green Media announces "Touching Base" promo- tion winner: The Green Media division of M2MEDIA360 — which publishes OPE and sister publications Landscape and Irrigation, SportsTurf and Arbor Age — announced the winner of its "Touching Base" raffle promotion at GIE+EXPO was Dave Vettori. Vettori, who is the parts/service manager at Vettori's, an OPE dealership in Saxonburg, Pa., won an iPad2 by visiting the 12 participating exhibitors' booths on the first two days of the show, and getting each of those exhibitors to stamp his game card, which was randomly drawn at the end of day two. We at Green Media would like to thank all of the promo- tion's participating exhibitors, which were as follows: Ahlborn Equipment Inc., Billy Goat Industries Inc., Briggs & Stratton Corporation, Dixon, Gold Eagle Company, Husqvarna Pro- fessional Products Inc., Kawasaki Engines/Power Products, nizeX Inc., Oregon|Blount Inc., Stihl Inc., Subaru Industrial Power Products, and Walker Manufacturing Company. Dave Vettori with his new iPad2, courtesy of OPE and Green Media I would like to wish all of you and your families a safe, 6 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com OPE healthy and happy holiday season, as well as the best of luck in 2012. Executive Vice President Editor Editorial Direction Art Director Production Manager Charles Forman Steve Noe Richard Brandes Brian Snook Karen Kalinyak Direct Mail List Sales Cheryl Naughton, (678) 292-6054; e-mail cnaughton@m2media360.com Reprint Service Cheryl Naughton, (678) 292-6054; e-mail cnaughton@m2media360.com M2MEDIA360 President/CEO Vice President, Finance and Operations Vice President, Circulation and Collateral Services Production and Operations Director Executive Director, EETC Executive VP, Dixie Sales Co. Pres., Plano Power Equipment and Whipper Clipper Marion Minor Gerald Winkel Joanne Juda-Prainito Mary Jo Tomei Editorial Advisory Board Jim Roche Jim Starmer Glen Whitt Circulation For subscription inquiries and customer service questions, please call (845) 856-2229 or fax (845) 856-5822 business hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. EST Publisher's Notice: We assume no responsibility for the validity of adver- tising claims in connection with items appearing in Outdoor Power Equipment. Reader Service Numbers are given to facilitate further inquiry. Commercial product names are used for the convenience of the reader. Mention of a commercial product does not imply endorse- ment by Outdoor Power Equipment or M2MEDIA360, or preference over similar products not mentioned. 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068 Phone: (847) 720-5600 • Fax: (847) 720-5601 Account Representatives: Bruce Loria 626 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 500, Los Angeles, CA 90017 Ph: 213-596-7226 • bloria@m2media360.com Joy Gariepy 16267 W. 14 Mile Rd., Ste. 202, Beverly Hills, MI 48025 Ph: 248-530-0300, ext. 1401 • jgariepy@m2media360.com Classified Sales/Marketplace: Glenn Datz Phone: 213-596-7220 • Fax: 213-624-0997 gdatz@m2media360.com