Are home shows a dream come true?

f HINK OF thousands of potential I home improvement buyers all gathered under one roof for a weekend, anxious to look at your merchandise and listen to your sales presentation.

It may sound like a dream come true, but it can be reality for retailers and distributors who participate in a home show. Trade shows are the most cost effective marketing tool available today, according to the Trade Show Bureau in New Canaan, Ct. Some amazing numbers have been produced by their nationwide search for statistics.

The cost ratio claimed by them is three to one in favor of a trade show contact over a traditional selling approach. A contact is defined as a qualified prospect who shows an interest in the product being exhibited, stops at the booth for information or literature and remembers that exhibitor eight to ten weeks later.

The Trade Show Bureau's research shows that no calls are required in 540/o of the leads closed after a trade show. The average is 0.8 or less than one call. The retailer who follows up on the contacts with a call or invitation to visit the store can raise this average.

Couple these statistics for the suctl cess of trade shows with the potential remodeling market and the dealer has almost a sure thing. The remodeling market is increasing 150/o each year. This faster-than-the-restof-the-economy growth is producing a $91 billion industry.

Story at a Glance

Why home shows are cost effective marketing .. ways to develop sales leads opportunities for reaching thousands of customers.

Do-it-yourselfers account for about 70% of the home improvement projects at an average ofabout 4.5 projects per homeowner per year with a total value of $2,900. These figures are backed by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census and the 1986 Homeowner's Modernization Study. Lumber dealers and home centers supply about 75% of all materials used in remodeling projects.

Trade shows are becoming more popular as ways to market goods "because people can shop on neutral territory and because they can see a wide variety of goods in one place," says Allen Sullivan, president of Capital Showcase, Sacramento, Ca., a producer of home, garden and remodeling shows.

Northwest dealers and distributors will have an opportunity to participate in the annual Home Restoration and Remodeling Show at the Kingdome in Seattle, Wa, July 8-10. The show will coincide with the Greater Seattle Home Restoration and Remodeling Week proclaimed by Mayor Charles Royer and King County Executive Tim Hill.

Over 200 exhibitors will show products ranging from bathroom fixtures to bricks to an expected audience of over 25,000 homeowners. Demonstrations and seminars will be conducted throughout the show with Norm Abram, master carpenter from the PBS television series "This Old House,"making an appearance.

Although this example will involve thousands of people, smaller shows such as those set up in local shopping malls can produce similar results. Showcase houses, sometimes organized as charity fund raisers, also offer the opportunity to show products and services to large and select audiences.