LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The National Farm Machinery Show’s massive exhibit floor is expanding for 2008, attracting the largest number of exhibitors in the show’s 43-year history.
The recent completion of the Kentucky Exposition Center’s North Wing (formerly the East Wing) gives the facility an additional 216,000 square feet of class “A” exhibit space and a grand lobby boasting 35,000 square feet of prime exhibit space.
In total, the show will now occupy more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibit and meeting space at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Moving time
During the 18-month reconstruction period, several of the show’s exhibitors were moved to South Wing C. Now that the state-of-the-art North Wing has replaced the East Wing, the facility has 27 acres of interconnected indoor exhibit space, allowing existing exhibitors to expand and new exhibitors to be added.
Numerous exhibitors from the show’s growing waiting list will have space to exhibit, thus increasing the total number of exhibitors to more than 800 for the first time in the show’s history.
Exhibitors that were located in the East Wing before it was demolished in 2005, will move into the North Wing. South Wing C, which was used to temporarily house East Wing exhibitors during the North Wing’s construction, will showcase new exhibitors and several existing exhibitors.
Food court
The food court, which was located in South Wing C during the North Wing construction period, will be moved to the North Wing Lobby, making it more accessible from all areas of the show.
The additional space also allows the Family Living Center to expand by more than 60 percent. Several East Hall exhibitors will relocate to the North Wing and South Wing C, giving the Family Living Center room to expand in the exhibit hall.
Potential economic impact generated by the facility is expected to increase from $400 million to approximately $600 million a year with the North Wing’s completion. The anticipated growth of the farm show, which already produces $21.5 million a year in economic impact for the state, will help make that jump possible.
More information
For more information on the reconstruction project, visit www.kyexpo.org.
