After a successful inaugural year, the industry’s biggest trade show and now the 16th largest trade show in North America, returns Thursday through Saturday, October 23-25 in Louisville, Kentucky.

GIE+EXPO (The Green Industry and Equipment Expo) will attract industry members worldwide who want to stay on the cutting edge of the newest products and latest industry trends.

Here are some of the can’t-miss features you should make a point to see to make the most of your GIE+EXPO experience.

• New Products Live! is a new-product showcase that will be a great starting point for your GIE+EXPO experience.

• Check out the 650 exhibitors showcasing their latest innovations in one 425,700-square-foot exhibit hall.
• A 19-acre outdoor demonstration area with another 170-plus exhibits – open all three days – is a shopper’s playground. Visitors can test new products and shop for items that will make them more productive and profitable in 2009.
• Sit in on the special introduction to PLANET’s Green Industry Conference with the GIE Workshops, only $50 per session. PLANET’s GIC and PGMS’ School of Grounds Management – a comprehensive lineup of educational sessions for green industry professionals – offer powerful educational sessions and extensive peer networking.
• Two free concerts at Louisville’s entertainment district – 4th Street Live! – will feature chart-topping entertainers. See Briggs Bluesbusters, Candy Coburn, .38 Special and Lonestar.
• Giveaways abound, including $20,000 toward the purchase of a new truck in the Trucks of the Industry Giveaway. You can also enter for your chance to win $50,000 in landscaping products through the Total Landscape Care Dream Package giveaway.
• Learn from the experts during brief, hands-on presentations in the Exhibit Hall Learning Center – new to GIE+EXPO this year.
• Scheer’s Lumberjack Shows will present the Stihl Lumberjack Challenge daily in the outdoor demonstration area. Featured events will include axe throwing, chopping, log rolling, cross cut sawing, hot sawing and chain saw carving.
• Kohler’s Free Brat Fry is a popular feature that makes a trip to the outdoor demo area even more fun. It will be held Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Pack your running shoes and lace up for Ferris Industries’ Run with the Winners 5K fun run on Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 a.m.

The event is sponsored by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) and the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS). GIE+EXPO hours for indoor exhibits will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 23 and October 24, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 25. Outdoor demonstrations will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 23 and October 24, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 25.

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