There was a total attendee count of around 4,000 who got to experience the products of over 300 exhibitors. A special event at this year's show and educational conference, the Drought Summit, drew nearly 200 people to an examination of the West's water shortage and the resulting challenges.

The title of the just completed Irrigation Show 2015 was "Waves of Innovation" and by all appearances that tag was appropriate as products on display, educational classes and special programs highlighted next-generation technologies and ideas.

Lenise Phillips, the communications manager for the Irrigation Association, which produces the show, was very upbeat at the end of the two-day expo portion.

"This is the first time we are in Long Beach in several years and we are very excited to be in California given the current importance of water-related issues here," she said.

The total visitor attendance was around 4,000 and there were over 300 exhibitors. The Drought Summit, an examination of the West's water shortage and the challenges it is bringing, attracted almost 200 attendees.

As for the education conference, Phillips said that this year they had more relevant classes in terms of current water issues and business practices.

Also of note, the Irrigation Association launched their Tailgate Training program at the show. It is designed to train employees, using a variety of educational materials including printed and digital copies of the lessons, flip charts and trainer notes, right in the field for a lot less money than traditional training.

"Our members told us that they wanted easier training methods," explained Phillips.

Tailgate training will be available for non-members also but members get the lessons at a discounted price.

Innovative products on the show floor included the Genius irrigation system from IrriGreen with a computerized spray head that uses technology similar to what inkjet printers utilize; Dura Flo CV dripline from NDS Inc., which encompasses a highly engineered check valve design that allows for lower opening pressures so longer sections can be installed before needing a valve to be installed; and a multi-sensor profiling probe from Sentek that measures soil moisture and salinity.

For next year's show and education conference, which is Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas, the IA is partnering with the National Groundwater Association.