Together, the joint 2019 trade shows of Hardscape North America (HNA) and the Green Industry and Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO) were an expansive array of innovations, trends and business-building ideas and opportunities that spanned the entirety of the sprawling Kentucky Exposition Center grounds, both inside and out. With over 18,000 hardscape, landscape and design professionals in attendance at the recently held show, even downtown Louisville was abuzz with networking and learning opportunities.

BELGARD HNA HIGHLIGHT REEL

To get an idea of what the overall HNA experience is like, check out our HNA 2019 highlight reel, which offers a peek at the indoor and outdoor displays, as well as some HNA night life. >>WATCH THE HIGHLIGHT REEL

VIDEO TOUR OF THE BELGARD BOOTHS

Belgard hosted a two-story interior booth spanning nearly 4,000 square feet that showcased emerging design trends and the new Collections by Belgard. Separate installations by collection were paired with interior design vignettes to illustrate how each collection coordinates with specific architectural and design styles. Get a peek inside our upstairs VIP area, which offered an exclusive viewing of new Porcelain Paver styles. Also, get a quick look at the outdoor demonstration area that included live demos of Belgard’s new labor-saving U Start Base Block, Tandem Modular Block and Weston® Stone Outdoor Living Kits. >>TAKE THE VIDEO TOUR

HNA PROJECT AWARDS

Battling against a record number of award entries in 18 categories of residential and commercial hardscape design, Belgard projects garnered an impressive 13 honors at this year’s HNA Project Awards. Belgard was particularly honored to sweep all awards in both the residential and commercial porcelain paver categories. >>SEE THE WINNING DESIGNS

HNA INSTALLER COMPETITION

Hardscape contractors from across the country competed at the regional level to win a trip to Hardscape North America and compete against the best of the best. This year’s overall winners were defending champions and Belgard Master Craftsman, Segmental Systems Inc. of Spokane, WA. >> get the inside story

NETWORKING AND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Education opportunities abounded the conference, from hands-on product demonstrations to certification and continuing education courses on a broad range of topics. HNA 2019 also offered a tremendous amount of networking, both on the show grounds and offsite. Belgard networking events included an in-booth happy hour on opening day and a VIP off-site event on the second evening. The wall-to-wall Belgard VIP event was had at PBR, one of the top hot spots of Louisville’s 4th Street Live concert venue. The evening included local fare, live music, bourbon tasting, bull-riding and hand-rolled cigars made with bourbon barrel-aged premium tobaccos. In the hard-fought bull-riding tournament, Belgard Advisory Council member Matt Griffin of Houston emerged victorious.

KEY LEARNINGS AND EMERGING TRENDS

• Improving Labor Efficiencies: Whether addressing labor shortages or contractor profitability, improving labor efficiencies was a hot topic throughout the show floor. Software and mobile apps touted various productivity and business management technologies for everything from recruitment and retention to training and estimating. There was also a wide range of equipment booths that focused on technologies to speed installation. Labor efficiency even drove the design arena, with materials and design trends centered on reducing the number of paver or wall block cuts in an outdoor living design.
• Biophilic Design: Biophilic design refers to the integration of natural elements within the built environment. Evidence of this rising trend could be seen throughout the show floor. Examples included hardscape designs entangled with landscaping, turf roofs, bare wood structures, water features and more.
• Indoor/Outdoor Flow: The trends continue to include more ways of making outdoor spaces complementary to the design of a home’s indoor space. Examples included sleeker outdoor kitchen elements and pavers options that mimic the look of interior flooring.
• Green Initiatives: Exhibits throughout the floor indicated that the green movement continues to drive some of the trends in outdoor design. Whether with artificial greenery, water harvesting technology, efficient lighting or permeable pavers, it’s clear that the marketplace is responding to the demand for improvements in energy consumption and water management.