More contractors and dealers attended the 10th Annual Hardscape North America (HNA) trade show than ever before. Attendance for the 2016 HNA, an Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute event, and co-located GIE+EXPO jumped 11 percent over the prior year, with 10,500-plus landscape and hardscape professionals convening in late October at the Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville.
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| The 2016 HNA Show saw 72 new exhibitors, representing a nearly 20 percent increase in floor space over the 2015 event. PHOTOS: Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute |
“HNA gets bigger and better each year, reflecting ICPI’s industry achievements and the growing demand for segmental pavement systems, segmental retaining walls, natural stone, and hardscapes,” says ICPI Executive Director Charles McGrath. “Concrete paver sales increased by 14.5 percent in the U.S. and Canada during 2015 to an estimated 690 million square feet. This surging market is creating expanded opportunities for hardscape contractors and dealers, and HNA is North America’s biggest event of the year for these professionals.”
In addition to trade show floor activity, the 2016 HNA featured:
- Outdoor hardscape demonstrations in a continuous build format;
- Keynote from Papa John’s Pizza founder and CEO John Schnatter;
- Installation and business educational opportunities for contractors, including an Executive Workshop and briefing sessions;
- Business growth program geared toward dealers and distributors;
- HNA Installer Championship with 24 teams competing from the United States and Canada; and,
- 2016 HNA Awards, which honor contractors building residential walkways, patios, driveways, commercial plazas, parking lots, and streets with concrete pavers, clay bricks, segmental retaining walls, or hardscape product combinations.
The 2017 Hardscape North America show is scheduled October 18-20 at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
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| HNA 2016 Installer Champion was Oak Leaf Landscaping of Danville, Ohio. Led by Tobias Yoder (left) and Daniel Nisley, Oak Leaf was one of four teams from the U.S. and Canada to reach the final round, during which contenders had 90 minutes to execute their own creative hardscape schemes. |
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| A Wilmington, Mass., nursing home courtyard, built by Monello Landscape with Techo-Bloc product, garnered a HNA Award in the “Combination of Hardscape Products–Commercial–Less than 20,000 square feet” category. |