By John Kmitta and Brian Ethridge
Equip Exposition recently announced that the outdoor power equipment industry’s biggest trade show will rotate between Louisville, Kentucky, and Orlando, Florida, beginning in 2029.
The show will be held at the Orlando 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, 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
Orlando 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.”
According to Kiser, OPEI didn’t move the Equip Exposition offices to Louisville in 2022 only to move the show; adding that Louisville is part of the show’s history, and OPEI wants to lean into that history.
“We’re committed to the community here, and the city here,” he said. “Louisville is a one-of-a-kind space where you can tear up dirt outside the back door. So we want to maintain that.”
According to Kiser, although Eqiup already draws attendees from around the world, the Orlando site will significantly increase international attendance.
“One of the challenges some of our very large exhibitors faced is that they want to bring in leadership from Japan, China, Germany, the UK…,” he said. “Their time is valuable, and it’s spent clearing customs and connecting [to Louisville]. I think we will get very significant international traffic, and we hope that that translates into folks coming to Louisville who had not given Louisville a chance.”
Kiser added that hosting the show in these two locations will allow for different social opportunities, different peer-to-peer opportunities, and different engagement opportunities.
Equip Exposition 2026 will be held Oct. 20-23 in Louisville, and OPEI and Equip have already initiated conversations with local partners, including Louisville Tourism and Kentucky Venues, about enhancing and expanding the show’s experience at the KEC.
According to Kiser, the KEC is working to build a new west wing; and although other specific enhancements to the venue are yet to be determined, he has urged their partners in Kentucky to lean into the aspect of the KEC that makes it unique — the outdoor demonstration area — and create a superior outdoor digging space that differentiates KEC from all other trade show venues.
While the Orlando version of Equip will be a different experience from the Louisville version of the show, Kiser added that OPEI will look to continue aspects of Equip that attendees have come to know and love, including the Mutt Madness pet adoption event.
“We want to continue our legacy events in Florida,” he said. “We may have a new effort — maybe “Lucky Dog” Live — but we will have Mutt Madness, and we’ll likely partner with the humane society there. It’s premature, because we are a few years out, but we want to continue what we are known for.”
Added Kiser, “We’re not leaving Louisville, we are moving into a two-city rotation. I think we will grow the show in both venues and have them be unique enough while being the same enough to make them great shows.”