The specifier’s show: how exhibitors sell at ASLA

The ASLA expo is one of the least transactional floors in Los Angeles this autumn, and exhibitors who treat it like a sales event tend to leave disappointed.

The sale happens later, on paper

Landscape architects specify. A conversation at a booth in October becomes a product named in a construction document a year or more later, and the actual purchase order is raised by a contractor who was never at the show. Exhibitors measuring success in leads closed are measuring the wrong thing.

Samples beat brochures

Paving, decking, site furnishing and surfacing suppliers all face the same problem: the decision is tactile. The booths that work are the ones you can put your hands on, ideally with the weathered version sitting next to the new one.

Bring someone technical

This audience asks about load ratings, permeability, maintenance cycles and warranty terms. A booth staffed only by sales gets found out in the first hour.

The ASLA 2026 Conference on Landscape Architecture runs 16–18 September at the Los Angeles Convention Center.