Equip Exposition Names New Show Director, Industry Leader Chris Meecha

Meecha Brings 30 Years Experience to Award-Winning Show

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Equip Exposition, the international landscape, outdoor living, and equipment exposition, has announced Chris Meecha will become its new Show Director effective September 16. Meecha, currently General Manager of Fern Expo in Louisville, joins the show three years into its rebranding and continued expansion under the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI)'s full ownership and management.

In launching the new Equip in 2022, new attendance and exhibitor records were set. More than a million square feet of exhibit space and 30 acres in the Outdoor Demo Yard were booked out, with the show attracting 27,000 attendees in 2023.

"Chris is well known in the show management world as a leader and innovator, and will help take Equip to the next level," says Kris Kiser, President and CEO of OPEI, which owns and manages the trade show. "We're building a world-class event, and it was the perfect time to have him join the team, three years into Equip's rebranding."

Meecha spent 14 years at Fern, one of the country's leading trade show and exposition service providers. He served as General Manager of the firm's Louisville office, which is one of its principal locations. He brings with him 30 years of trade show industry experience and served as a show director before joining Fern. 

According to Kiser, hiring Meecha is all part of the evolution of the award-winning show, which received two Grand Awards in Trade Show Executive's Gold 100 Awards program: "Most Innovative Show" and the "Slam Dunk Award: Best New Idea." The show has been nominated for three more Gold 100 awards in 2024.

Like Kiser, Meecha is also a University of Louisville graduate.

With more than 1.2 million square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibit space, Equip Exposition is one of the largest trade shows in the United States, bringing in more than $25 million annually to Louisville. 

Photo Available (attached): Chris Meecha will become the new Show Director for the award-winning Equip Exposition, the international landscape, outdoor living, and equipment exposition. The trade show drew more than 27,000 attendees last year to Louisville and will be held October 15-18, 2024.

Additional Photos Available:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/f4jd1ftd041m90emw1cc7/h?rlkey=zc8d8rs6rba4v8nccm02lumv1&dl=0 

Embeddable YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/@equipexposition 

Media contacts
Ami Neiberger, Four Leaf PR on behalf of OPEI, 703-887-4877, [email protected]
Debbi Mayster, Four Leaf PR on behalf of OPEI, 240-988-6243, [email protected]

About Equip Exposition
Equip Exposition, the international landscape, outdoor living, and equipment exposition, is held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, and is one of the largest, annual trade shows in the United States, and is co-located with Hardscape North America. In 2023, the show received two Grand Awards in Trade Show Executive's Gold 100 Awards program: "Most Innovative Show" and the "Slam Dunk Award: Best New Idea." The show has been nominated for three more awards in 2024. Equip publishes equip magazine and is owned and managed by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, an international trade association representing manufacturers of outdoor power equipment, parts, small engines, battery power systems, portable generators, utility and personal transport vehicles, and golf cars, and their suppliers. For more information visit www.EquipExposition.com. 

SOURCE Equip Exposition