Choosing a Home & Garden Show

Whether you are deciding on a show in a Southern Shows Inc. market, or anywhere in the country, here are some tips, and questions to ask, to help you make a good decision.

Determine who you are dealing with.

Check out their web site. Concentrate on the content, not how it looks (a high school kid with Dreamweaver can create a terrific looking web site).

• Is the name of the company owner, and/or the show manager listed? Does it give you the ability to contact them directly?
• Are the photographs taken at their shows, or simply purchased photography?
• Is there a separate site, or page, for the show you are looking at being a part of?
• Does the website list the features and special happenings at the show, or is it general information?
• Does the website list the participating companies? This is important not only for seeing who is going to be there, but also for post-show business from attendees trying to find you after the show. Many shows will even link your listing to your web site.

Find out about the show.

• Has it ever taken place in your city before?
• What other companies plan to exhibit? Ask for a current list of confirmed companies. Trust but verify - call companies you know, or even ones you don’t, and find out if they are rally signed up. Hint: If they are signed up, ask how much they are paying for the space. Many new shows will discount space to get exhibitors. If you are going to exhibit, you need to make sure you are getting the same deal everyone else is.
• What will be happening there? There are two types of shows. One type consists of exhibits only. The second has exhibits, and supports those exhibitors with activities to create excitement and media attention. Those activities can include gardens, designer rooms, celebrity guests, homeowner workshops, giveaways, feature area, and special events.
• Who is involved? Are there trade associations, like the local Home Builders Association, who are sponsors? That’s normally a good sign. And while it’s easy to think otherwise, radio and TV stations as sponsors do not always mean much. Shows can buy their way into media sponsorships.
• Look at the floorplan. Count the number of booths and compare it to other shows you know. Again caution – just because they have 200 booths on the floorplan, does not mean they will sell them all.
• How do they plan to promote the show? Which stations? What papers? How many ads? What size? How much do they plan to spend on advertising? Remember that they can promise anything, but if they are having trouble answering your questions, they probably haven't done their homework. Please also be aware that some show producers will place small schedules on many stations to so can read off a list of stations to potential exhibitors.
• How many people will be there? If a show producer guarantees an attendance figure, beware. Although a professional show producer will have a good guess of how many people should come, attendance should never be guaranteed. Ask if you get your money back if the guaranteed amount of people don't come - you'll find how good their guarantee is.

Red Flags:

• A deal on space.
• High pressured selling.
• Too many promises.

Note:

• Few of these items by themselves are a deal breaker. If they start adding up, be cautious.

If you do decide the show makes sense for you, make sure to find out what other costs are involved.

• Electricity, if needed.
• Internet, if needed.
• Parking.
• Labor (if union facility, you may have to pay union labor to move in and set up)
• Tickets (do you get free ones with your exhibit?)