Wondering where you can find tools, technology and foster one-on-one relationships with suppliers all in one convenient space? Look no further than the ELEVATE Expo.
“The show can be especially valuable for someone starting a business or running a smaller company with several challenges to solve,” says Steven Foster, senior account manager for Gachina Landscape Management, based in Menlo Park, California. “There is something for everyone, whether the need involves asset tracking, CRM technology, equipment, or education. Most attendees will leave having learned something useful or identified a solution to a problem they may not have realized they had.
Hope Smith, director of experience and innovation for Plants Creative Landscapes, based in Scottdale, Georgia, agrees that learning about brands at the Expo helps save them time and money.
“It lets us zero in on what will be most cost-effective and what will work best for us, all in one place,” Smith says. “It also doesn’t feel like a cold call that interrupts your day.”
ELEVATE Expo is part of ELEVATE, presented by NALP and powered by Cat, and features over 200 exhibitors who offer a wide variety of products and services.
Discover Solutions You Didn’t Know Existed
One of the benefits of ELEVATE Expo is how it provides landscape professionals with dedicated time to explore brands they would not have encountered otherwise.
“Every time I walk the floor, I’ve made a new connection,” says Brett Lemcke, CEO of R.M. Landscape, Inc., based in Hilton, New York. “I’ve opened my eyes to the depths and created curiosities. Like, what should I be doing in this area? Or is what they’re presenting maybe something I should explore some more? I think it broadens the view to what’s out there supporting our industry, and while it may sound like a pitch, ‘Here come to our booth,’ if you treat it as curiosity and ask questions, it doesn’t feel sales pitchy at all.”
Smith says that while she arrives with a few booths in mind she wants to visit, she also lets the floor guide her.
“Some of the most interesting finds come from just wandering,” Smith says.
Foster says the exhibitors are eager to share their latest technology, processes, and products. He says he learned about many innovative pieces of equipment he hadn’t encountered before.
“Some of the smaller vendors are doing really innovative things, and I would never have come across them online,” Smith says. “Even for the larger vendors, they are often bringing updates, enhancements, or new stuff to ELEVATE to showcase, and it can be easy to miss those things on a day-to-day basis.”
Smith says one example of this was how she met Towa Tools at ELEVATE.
“They ended up outfitting our maintenance trucks with power stations so our crews can charge their battery equipment in the field,” Smith says. “We’ve also brought in a variety of software tools we first discovered on the Expo floor.”
Demo Equipment and Technology Firsthand
ELEVATE Expo also allows attendees to go beyond mere product descriptions by seeing equipment and technology in real life. Lemcke says being able to touch and feel machines and even play with different software enables him to gain a deeper understanding of the products.
Foster adds that the in-person, hands-on demonstrations are more impactful than an online video or brochure.
“Seeing every feature demonstrated live, whether on a ride-on turf spreader and sprayer or across the newest lineup of electric equipment, gave me a much better understanding than I could have gained from a brief sales pitch or elevator speech over email,” Foster says.
Foster says that during the Expo they connected with several companies and tested their equipment, which led Gachina to adopt tools on their routes that significantly improved their maintenance team’s efficiency and effectiveness.
Strengthen Relationships with Suppliers
Additionally, the ELEVATE Expo fosters authentic relationships with vendors that go beyond the general sales pitch. Lemcke says talking to vendors on the show floor allows for a better connection than a Zoom call, and he’s more inclined to listen.
“If the conversations are genuine, they could go as far and as deep as you need them to,” Lemcke says. “If you’re really hitting it off, this happens where you just say, ‘Let’s keep talking at one of the social events or to dinner,’ and so it allows a stronger relationship.”
Smith adds at the Expo you can meet people who are actually on the team, sometimes even the owners or company leaders, so you get a real sense of what the company is about.
Foster says when he attended the Expo, he intentionally sought out several brands, including Aspire, Rainbow EcoScience, Hunter, and various chemical providers, so her could learn about their products directly from the source.
“Because I had already set aside time to attend the show, I wanted to make the most of it by speaking directly with the brands, strengthening relationships, and hearing what exhibitors had to say,” Foster says. “In my experience, meeting company representatives face to face was far more valuable than sending a cold email or making a LinkedIn connection.”
Foster says after the event he followed up with several vendors and shared their information with colleagues at other branches and with Gachina’s key decision-makers.
“Those conversations helped us build relationships with multiple companies, and I have since benefited from savings offered by material and chemical providers,” Foster says.
Don’t miss ELEVATE in Tampa, Florida, on Nov. 8-11, 2026. Register now!
