Inside the 2025 Irrigation Show

By Emma Peterson. 

A look at the Irrigation Association’s dedication to serving the industry.  

Every year, the Irrigation Association (IA) hosts a trade show and education week with the goal of “support[ing] IA initiatives to benefit its members and the irrigation industry through advocacy and professional development.” Whether you are a contractor looking for valuable insights from industry experts, a student hoping to make meaningful connections  with peers or a researcher interested in cutting-edge irrigation solutions, there is a place for you at the show.  

At the 2025 Irrigation Show, Karol Weyman interviewed Noreen Rich, IA’s member engagement and industry relations director, to learn a little more about the show. Noreen opened by sharing some general information about IA, explaining, “We are a trade association. So, we generally focus on company memberships, but we also represent about 13,000 people from those companies. And these people are from all over the industry, golf, turf, landscape and more.”  

The annual Irrigation Show is where IA members come together in one place to learn and network. Noreen explained, “This is our biggest event where everything comes together. It’s our biggest opportunity to educate and certify individuals in person.” In addition to this flagship event, IA provides their members with a variety of events and programs throughout the year. Noreen shared:  

We do education certification, training, advocacy representation and more all year long. So, in the first quarter of 2026 we’ll host the Landscape Irrigation Professionals Week, which is an online opportunity for people to prepare for the certified irrigation technician exam, and we’ll also have our advocacy summit, which is where we train some of our volunteers to go to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and connect with decision makers there. 

These are just two examples of the year-round programming that IA hosts for their members. They also host workforce development webinars, irrigation seminars, interest group meetings and more!  

To learn more about this incredible trade association and their work, watch our full interview with Noreen.