LOUISVILLE, Ky. — GIE+EXPO's Outdoor Demonstration Area, a draw for many attendees who want to test and compare the newest innovations across brands, has expanded to 20 acres. New this year, the co-located Hardscape North America's demo area is moving to a paved area adjacent to the turf, increasing the available space to more than 20 acres and making way for more GIE+EXPO demo exhibits. Organizers announced this week that the larger-than-ever demo area is reaching the point of selling out.
 
"The demo area is a favorite attraction among both contractors and dealers, and it's a huge benefit for exhibitors to be able to demonstrate their equipment on natural turf," said Warren Sellers, show manager. "We're thrilled to be able to offer more space, and selling it out really speaks to the synergy that's building around this year's show. As we've said, we're pulling out all the stops to make this the best GIE+EXPO yet."
 
The Outdoor Demonstration Area, just steps away from GIE+EXPO's indoor exhibits, will be open Thursday October 20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Friday, October 21, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. It features hands-on exhibits displaying new products and equipment, from hand-held and walk-behind equipment to ride-on mowers, light construction equipment and UTVs. Attendees value the opportunity to get behind the controls, test drive and comparison shop all in one place.
 
Access to the demo area is included in the registration fee. Contractors interested in learning about hardscape techniques can upgrade their registration to include six demonstrations covering topics such as paver installation, basic wall building and lighting installation. New this year, the format for the Hardscape Demonstrations will be a continuous build, which will happen during show hours in the HNA Outdoor Arena with 1-hour featured demonstrations starting at 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM on Thursday and Friday.
 
GIE+EXPO's 2016 dates are Wednesday, Oct. 19, Dealer Day; Oct. 20-21 for all industry participants. The annual event is sponsored by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, Inc. (OPEI), Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) and National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). HNA is sponsored by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI).
 
For information and online registration: www.gie-expo.com. Other contact points: Facebook,info@GIE-EXPO.com, Twitter @GIE_EXPO and 800-558-8767/812-949-9200.