Headed to San Antonio for the Irrigation Show? Here’s what you need to know

The Irrigation Association’s (IA) Show and Education Week heads to the Lone Star state from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 at the Henry B. González Convention Center.

For those attending their first Irrigation Show, Stephanie Clark, strategic partnerships and business development vice president with the Irrigation Association, shares what not to miss.

Clark says newcomers should make plans to attend IA’s First-Timers Roundtable on Nov. 28 at 3:30 p.m. Clark says the roundtable offers those new to the show an inside scoop from show veterans. First-timers will also learn how to navigate the show to make the most of their time in San Antonio.

“We’re going to do a quick walkthrough of the exhibit floor to provide first-timers with some ideas on how to best utilize their time,” she says.

Networking events are also not to be missed, Clark says. Also on Nov. 28 is IA’s River Walk Fiesta welcome event at San Antonio’s River Walk at 5 p.m. The Craft Brewfest returns to the exhibit floor on Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. There’s also a Women in Irrigation Breakfast on Nov. 29 at 7:30 a.m., and a Young Professionals Social on the same day at 5 p.m.

Plan ahead

Clark says another important step for Irrigation Show newcomers is using the tools IA provides to help organize their time in San Antonio. This includes downloading the Irrigation Show app and utilizing the show’s website at IrrigationShow.org.

“You can create a profile and set up a My Show Planner,” she says of the mobile app. “You can search for exhibitors by category and product. And then you can favorite those exhibitors and add them to your show planner. So, when you arrive on-site and pull up your planner, you can easily locate those companies on the exhibit floor.”

Clark says the app syncs with the show’s website and attendees can learn more about the product galleries and details about everything going on at the event, including all of the education sessions.

“Planning your day-to-day schedule before the show enables you to better utilize your time onsite,” Clark says.

IA will offer its members an opportunity for free headshots in the association’s member lounge with professional lighting, background and a photographer. Headshots are great for LinkedIn or being an industry source for a media publication like Athletic Turf. Attendees can use the app to schedule a headshot session around their classes and trade show floor time.

New products, new events

Another not-to-miss area is the show’s New Product Contest.

New this year will be a 360-degree IA pavilion. This is a central hub on the exhibit floor designed to connect attendees to IA resources, Clark says. There’s also a resume wall.

Another reason for Irrigation Show newbies to download the mobile app is the association’s new attendee scavenger hunt. Clark explains the game won’t officially kick off until the exhibit floor opens. Attendees will need to visit eight exhibitor booths, the IA Pavilion and the General Session to qualify to win some great prizes.

“We’re giving away a 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip and an Apple Watch Ultra GPS-Cellular,” she says.

Another new event Clark says, is the Pack for Impact event to support Child Safe San Antonio. Irrigation Show attendees can join IA staff to stuff backpacks with school supplies for children supported through this local nonprofit organization.

“Pack for Impact is open to all Irrigation Show attendees and begins after the General Session. We will stuff backpacks in the main lobby from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.,” she says. “We think it’s important to support the local San Antonio community and children impacted by abuse.”