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Photo provided by Equip Expo
A Tale of Two Cities
Equip Exposition to rotate between Louisville and Orlando beginning in 2029
Equip Exposition recently announced that the outdoor power equipment industry’ s biggest trade show will rotate between Louisville, Kentucky, and Olando, Florida,
By Brian Ethridge and John Kmitta beginning in 2029.
The show will be held at the Orange County Convention Center October 10-12, 2029, with additional shows in Orlando in 2031 and 2033, and in Louisville at the Kentucky Exposition Center( KEC) in 2028, 2030 and 2032.
According to the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute( OPEI), which owns and manages the show, the two-city rotation will expand global access with direct international air traffic and new venue choices for attendees and exhibitors, while enhancing outdoor demonstration opportunities in Louisville.
Equip 2025 expanded to 1.2 million square feet at the KEC and drew nearly 30,000 registered attendees from all 50 states and 52 countries, marking an attendance and net square footage record for the fourth year in a row.
According to Kris Kiser, president of OPEI, this move is not about leaving Louisville, but rather about establishing a two-city show that offers varied experiences at each location. Hosting Equip in Orlando will allow enhanced opportunities for special events such as receptions, concerts and dealer meetings, as well as the ability to co-locate with other events.
“ We’ ve dramatically grown the show since 2022,” said Kiser.“ We took it in-house
OPEI President Kris Kiser. Photo provided by OPEI
and went from 18,000 to 30,000 [ attendees ] in four years’ time. We’ ve outgrown the footprint and our ability to co-locate.”
Kiser added that Equip didn’ t want to give up what makes it unique, which is the outdoor demonstration area. The Orlando site will still allow for equipment demonstration, but it will be a different experience from Louisville, as the Orlando demo area will be on asphalt. In Orlando, the 20-acre parking lot used for outdoor demonstrations will be immediately adjacent to the Orange County Convention Center.
“ We will have outdoor demo space,” said Kiser.“ It’ s just different. We’ re not going to dig, we can’ t cut and we can’ t trench; but we think that differentiation helps us grow both shows.”
24 OPE + March 2026 www. OPE-Plus. com