TCI EXPO, the world’s largest tree care trade show and conference, is coming to Charlotte. The biggest names in tree care from all over the U.S. will meet at the Charlotte Convention Center, Thursday, Nov. 14 – Saturday, Nov. 16 for workshops, seminars and demonstrations. Not to mention, an entire show floor packed with new gear and big tree care iron -trucks, lifts and other heavy off-road machinery.
Here are some highlights that will provide dynamic story and photo opportunities as thousands of tree care professionals descend on the city:
- TCIA 75th Anniversary Museum: Nov. 14 – 16; Charlotte Convention Center. To celebrate 75 years as an association, the Tree Care Industry Association, host of TCI EXPO, has built a museum on the show floor at the convention center. Featuring a diverse collection of vintage tree care equipment dating back to the 1930s, this museum chronicles the history of the tree care industry. Historical exhibit items include a 1927 Ford Model T Roadster, a 1949 two-person Mercury Disston chain saw, a 1931 Ford Model AA spray rig and more.
- TCIAF Student Career Days Tree Climbing Competition: Friday, Nov. 8 (8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.); Freedom Park, Charlotte, N.C. College and high school arboriculture students from around the U.S. will participate in friendly competitions to demonstrate their tree-climbing skills and expertise to win prizes! And this year, international tree climbing champion Mark Chisholm will demonstrate his renowned climbing skills at 8:30 a.m. Besides the climbing, Student Career Days hosts a variety of other educational seminars, workshops and even a job and internship fair, which gives students enrolled in arboriculture, horticulture, forestry and related programs an inside look at the field they’re studying.
- TCI EXPO Hours:Thursday, Nov. 14 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 15 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 16 – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The show also features live climbing and rigging demonstrations from national professionals on a 30-foot tree on the trade show floor. View the complete schedule here.
