Source: Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, Chantilly, Va.
A Drone Zone and Utility Vehicle Test Track headline new offerings for this year’s Hardscape North America, October 21-23 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville. Hardscape NA is produced by ICPI, with lead sponsors Belgard and Keystone Hardscapes, plus National Concrete Masonry Association and Brick Industry Association endorsements.
The new Drone Zone will offer hands-on training from the exhibit floor. Attendees can test their ability on a flight simulator, then step into the Zone and fly a drone with an expert trainer.
Hourly sessions will cover drone deployment for marketing, thermal imaging, multi-spectral analytics, and GIS mapping. The test track will give HNA attendees an opportunity to drive and compare the latest UTV. Staged in the Kentucky Expo Outdoor Demonstration Area, it will be set up to put vehicles through their paces on curves, hills, rocks, bumps and mud.
The Hardscape House returns this year after a successful 2019 debut. A sheltered, 42,000-sq.-ft. pavilion adjacent to the 20-acre Outdoor Demonstration Area, it will include Hardscape Now, with six one-hour sessions led by award-winning hardscape consultant Frank Bourque; National Installer Championship; and, exhibitor displays for hands-on testing.
ICPI and NCMA pre-show Installer Courses will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 20 and 21, and are approved for CE Hours for ICPI Certified Concrete Paver Installers. Main conference sessions will address improving efficiency, impactful marketing, building a company culture and growing sales with landscape lighting. The Dealer Education program will kick off with a networking breakfast, followed by sessions on how to be an “Undercover Boss,” selling on value rather than price, and how to boost marketing with the help of contractors and manufacturers.
Top hardscape contractors will compete in the Hardscape North America Installer Championships. Twenty-four teams, including the winners from the regional championships, will have the opportunity to compete over the course of two days. The 2020 champion will receive a prize package valued at approximately $10,000. The HNA Hardscape Awards presentation, set for Thursday, October 22, is open to all attendees. Awards will honor commercial and residential projects in 18 categories.
Early-bird registration runs through September 10. Registration and additional exposition and conference details can be obtained at www.HardscapeNA.com.