Discussions

I am curious on everyone’s thoughts on the home show. Did you attend? What do you go to look for while you are there? Do you buy/order things there or do you just go to look?  
 
Would love input from businesses as well. Is it worthwhile? Lots of people?  
 
We are a small business thinking of booking a booth for next year. Just wanting some input to see if it would be worthwhile or not.

I/we attended Friday late afternoon. Very disappointing.... unless you’re into hot tubs, or landscaping hotels etc. I was hoping to get some bathroom ideas, nothing.

I agree with the previous poster. I did a quick walk through and was out in record time wishing I hadn’t wasted $10. I like to support local events but to what point. I would have been interested in talking to a variety of interior designers, kitchen Reno places. But I only saw one of each. Landscapers were there but they look at you and walk away like they don’t want to talk to you. So I keep on walking.

We don't have any real plans for renovations, and we didn't want to spend the $10 each. Had it been free, we probably would have gone.

Went with the wife yesterday. Waste of time and $20. Won't be back, that's enough of that.  
 
PS. Wes might have better luck in the classifieds bud

We started going to the home show about 4 years ago now even though our business has been around in Brandon since the 70's, we hadn't been before then. Last year we got a fair amount of business as a result of the show so it was worthwhile to spend the almost near $2000 for our booth (plus staff wages on top).  
 
If I wasn't a vendor...I don't know if I would go, personally.  
 
I know the Keystone fees have increased so I suspect the $10 at the door helps to offset those and/or our booth fee went up as well.

Thanks for your input. That’s why we were a bit skeptical about booking a booth. We prefer a double booth but would likely start with just 1. To dish out that kind of money for the booth we definitely want to make sure it’s worthwhile.

The $5 admission went to Cancer Society as a donation. I will gladly give a $5 entry when going to a worthy cause. The home show should be free. Would like to see more contractors. It is great to see more lumber yards getting into it. Starting to see more RTM builders and home builders. I think they all focus on their large projects vs they would take on full room renos but just don't show it. It is slowly getting better as more "home" related people and businesses get together. Don't want a bunch of cooking booths or hot tubs only.

Do they charge the admission to keep the tire kickers to a minimum? Are they on the theory that if someone is willing to pay to get in, must be there to spend money.

doubt it, I do wonder where that money goes.  
 
We paid close to $1700 for our booth, even us as vendors think the admission should be free or less than $10.00!

What were the crowds like?

and have been for 8 years now. I invest minimally on my booth and most of the investment is actually the booth rental. the idea is to catch people as they walk by. Talk to them. Don't wait until they talk to you. Hand out as many business cards as I can. This year Friday was OK. with the demographic that got in a bit cheaper. Saturday was decent. But Sunday was a wash for me. It is hit and miss sometimes due to good and bad spring weather. I do it because at this point it is habit and I am a bit scared not to. It usually brings customers to my business 9 to 12 months down the road as I am in a home planning business. Some people are ok with the entry fee and some are not. I would like to see more small contractors attend and more product manufacturers also. In my opinion. I kind of like being the lone home plan business. The problem is that this home show is always the first weekend in April and now the Home and Garden Show in Winnipeg has been the same weekend for the last couple years. That draws away some exhibitors and some rural clients from the east that would come here to look around. If they are from MacGregor or east of there they will go to Winnipeg. Which was $13 dollars to enter. However the exhibitor investment in Winnipeg was $20 per square foot and booth size was a minimum of 10ft x 10ft. You do the math! A lot more money for small business to shell out. It is still economical for my small business even if I only see 3 to 5 of my business cards come back in sales. It is also beneficial for exhibitors to network with other businesses. Business is definitely changing with social media and the younger generation that is less reliant on the face to face interaction and would rather pull in the information online as they need. We will see where the home show goes in the future? It might take some more aggressive reaching out to market the show to small business going forward. There was a few new businesses this year.

We are a product manufacturer as well as custom work. We would bring product as well as take future orders on custom pieces. I think we will definitely give it a try next year.  
 
I would like to see these events give discounts to local businesses and maybe for first year vendors as well. But I guess they set their fees and that’s what it is. We did the fair last year and although we made money and got orders after we just couldn’t justify the high booth fees as well as taking a whole week off to be there.  
 
Thanks everyone for your input.

Can't compare the Winnipeg show to Brandon. A much more diverse and better show. The Home Show in Toronto charges $20. They also have 800 vendors.  
 
If I was a vendor at the Brandon show I would be pushing organizers to have the admission fee eliminated. Might even convert some of those "tire kickers" into customers! It would bring in many more people. Ag Days doesn't charge an admission, Pik A Dilly trailer show doesn't charge an admission as well as many others that pay a fee already to have a booth. If it keeps going the way it is there will be no show and the Keystone will lose out a lot more money then the $10 admission they are charging (I'm assuming the Keystone pockets the entrance fee)

While I am looking for some ideas for new flooring I didn't go. I have had estimates done and know approximately how much it will cost. I didn't feel I wanted to spend $10 to see if I could spend over $5000. If it had been free or $5 I might have considered going to see if I could get a better price. Free and I would have gone and done some other shopping as well. I probably would have bought more stuff but the admission fee didn't make it attractive to me. I saw what vendors were going to be there and didn't think it was work the admission to go.

we would like to see the entrance fee waived. I understand our booth fee's but do not understand why they charge admission fees!

The big banks should sponsor the admission fees. How much money do they make on giving out loans for all of this stuff?  
 
Why no hardware stores? Where are the trades? The city could have a booth explaining bylaws and permits.

I would attend the show if they had those types of booths.

Took a stroll through the home show this past weekend. Both my husband and I felt we might as well have thrown the admission fee out the window!!!  
Very dull and very sad. Won't be going back.