Buzzing equipment, handshakes, exclamations of “Hey, how are ya doing?” and notepads with pens at the ready are just a few of the scenes the LM team encountered Oct. 16-18 at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Ky., for GIE+EXPO.

With more than 500,000 square feet of exhibit space, in addition to the demo area outside, the LM team had a lot of ground to cover.

Throughout the three-day event, one word consistently stood out: efficiency — likely stemming from the chronic labor shortage that’s plagued the industry for some time.

Many of the Landscapes sessions, hosted by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, zeroed in on how to make the most of a company’s current labor force. Equipment manufacturers weighed in on how their products help cut man-hours, and green industry professionals swapped ideas about how to effectively recruit new employees.