The History Of CLCA
CLCA's Annual Landscape Industry Show
CLCA Through The Decades1950s1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s |
In August 1979, CLCA members Don Napolitano (1980 president), Jon Alsdorf (1984 president) and Bob Baier jointly proposed to the board the creation of a first-ever trade show for the California landscape industry. "This was a gutsy move, but the time was right," says Alsdorf. "We saw the limited success of the Southern and Northern Turf Grass shows and thought we could do a better job of targeting it to our members and the industry as a whole. They were limited in scope and mostly targeted to maintenance contractors. There wasn't much in the way of landscape construction exhibits, and the other shows were mostly focused regionally." The board of directors hesitated at first to adopt the proposal. No one had experience producing a trade show, and there were many unknowns to address. But the concept was sound, so the board gave the go-ahead. Three other members - Alan Chariton, Arch Humphrys and Martin Rippens - volunteered to join Alsdorf, Napolitano and Baier on the committee. "It was a very scary experience," says Alsdorf, who notes that committee members had set a goal of $40,000 in first-year net earnings and were willing to underwrite the show if necessary." (It wasn't; the first show netted $20,000.) "The group met twice a month until the first show opened the following year. "At the end of the first show we breathed a huge sigh of relief. Just about everyone who exhibited signed up right away for the following year, and many vendors who had visited but not put up exhibits also beat a path to the registration table for the '81 event. "It became a moneymaker for CLCA, elevating the association and providing a focus - a 'unifying thread' - that allowed us to promote and further educate our industry, and gave our suppliers and material vendors a place to come and show us the latest technology." Walt Young (1965 CLCA president), who became the show's landscape architect in 1988, says the event today is well supported. "The majority of nurseries that enter donate the plants for the show, everything from flowers to 48-inch boxes, and sometimes bigger. There are truckloads of plants. "We have practically every type and facet of the industry represented at the trade show today. Our principal targets are landscape contractors, municipalities and other government entities ... anybody who is involved in the industry." Educational seminars are a big part of the event as well, with forums on a wide range of topics from irrigation to new plant materials, water features, business management - just about everything involved in running a landscaping business. Some seminars are done in Spanish as well as English. "It seems to be a real strength," Alsdorf says. "It's also become a place to go for ornamental agriculture and landscape architecture students." There's also a cocktail party before the show, attended by 400-500 people annually (the show itself draws 5,000-6,000 visitors). "We put on quite a nice event, give out some awards and have some speeches, that sort of thing," says Young. Alsdorf, who served on the committee during the show's first six years and rejoined it in 2002, says that the event's value is greatly enhanced by the attendees' status in the industry. "Today the show is well received because the attendance is well qualified. Most people who visit are the decision-makers for their companies. While we may not have 20,000 people walking the floor, those who do go are ready to do business." Alsdorf notes that business transactions aren't allowed at the show itself, "but you make the contacts." From its humble, uncertain beginnings, CLCA's Landscape Industry Show today is a nationwide event at the top of its class, held annually at the Long Beach Convention Center. As Walt Young says: "It's the best of its kind in the industry." |
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