MATS concert travels downtown for 2020 show

The 49th edition of the Mid-America Trucking Show will have a new location for its annual concert.

MATS will be March 26-28 at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville.

Traditionally, the Friday night of the show features a concert. That will again be the case at the 2020 show, but the concert will have a new location and format.

This year, your MATS attendee badge will serve as a ticket for the concert, which will now be offsite at Fourth Street Live in downtown Louisville. Fourth Street Live is a 350,000-square foot entertainment and retail complex on Fourth Street between Liberty and Muhammad Ali Boulevard.

Shuttles will be available at the Expo Center to transport attendees to Fourth Street Live and back, courtesy of Howe’s Lubricator.

As of Feb. 10, the concert performers had not been announced. Past MATS concert entertainers have included Aaron Tippin, Craig Morgan, George Thorogood, Jason Aldean, Gretchen Wilson, and the Marshall Tucker Band. This year’s concert lineup should be announced soon.

In addition to entertainment, MATS provides more than 1 million square feet of exhibit space to give truckers an opportunity to learn about the industry’s newest products from big to small. Some of the more than 800 exhibitors that had signed on by early February included Kenworth and Peterbilt.

More than 72,000 people attended the 2019 installment of MATS, which touts itself as “the most comprehensive trucking event.”

Registration and show hours

To preregister for the show, go to the MATS website and fill out the form. Registration will remain free until Feb. 25. After that, it will cost $10 to attend. VIP badges can be purchased for $99.

If you register before Feb. 25, a badge will be mailed to your address. After Feb. 25, you will have to wait in line for your badge to be printed. If you preregister, be sure to print out your registration confirmation and bring it with you to the show to exchange for your badge.

Your badge is good for all three days of the show. Children under the age of 14 are not required to register and will not need a badge.

On March 26, there will be a VIP session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with doors open to the public from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. On March 27, the doors will open to the general public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On March 28, the show is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Kentucky Expo Center is at 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville.

OOIDA at MATS

On Thursday, March 26, OOIDA will provide a government roundtable discussion for its members. The seminar will be from 10-11 a.m. in room C-104 for members only. It will be hosted by members of OOIDA’s government affairs team, as well as OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh.

On Friday, March 27, OOIDA will host a Shift Into Success program from 3-4 p.m. in room B-104. The one-hour class, which will be taught by Pugh and Andrew King of the OOIDA Foundation, will focus on how to develop a business plan. The class is free and open to everyone.

The Association will have two booths at the 2020 show. Just like last year, OOIDA will be in Booth 11128 in the North Wing and Booth 65229 in the West Wing. You can catch OOIDA’s tour truck at the PKY Truck Beauty Championship in Lot J behind the West Wing.

It will cost only $35 to join or renew your OOIDA membership at MATS.

Parking

Tractor-trailer parking at the Kentucky Expo Center is $30 daily, and spots with hook-ups are available for $50 per day. Spots with hook-ups must be reserved by calling 502-367-5380. If you’re in your personal vehicle, it will cost you $10 to park each day.

Offsite overnight parking is available for free at Cardinal Stadium, 4800 S. Floyd St. Shuttle buses to and from the Kentucky Expo Center also are provided for anyone parking at the stadium.