Since it’s the home show time of year, I thought it would be of interest to discuss the benefits of participating in local home shows.

While not every home show will be worth the time and investment, these can be a great way to promote your firm, build your base of leads and acquire new clients. However, to do this, you need to have a professional presence and maximize your opportunities.

The Booth

When planning your booth, think about how much space you’ll need to do an effective display. A 10'x20' display will allow you enough room for two small kitchens, with some room for a vanity or small bath display. There may also be room for an island.

Over the years I’ve had as much as a 40'x40' booth, with working cooking demonstrations, four kitchen displays, a bar and a couple of bath displays. But I can’t really say that the large display did any more for us than a well-designed straight-line display.

Obviously, the amount of work and the cost of the display must be considered. Many cabinet manufacturers have traveling displays that are available for dealers interested in putting them in home shows.

We’ve had much success with a home show display that did not show any kitchens or baths. We wanted to help the clients understand the “process,” so we created a booth that did that, with project drawings, before and after photos, floor plans, final perspectives, a copy of our design agreement and pricing on each project, as well as how it related to the plans.

We did have some door samples for those who wanted to see our products, but we’ve found it’s really not necessary to have complete kitchen and bath displays.

Whether you want to showcase products, vignettes or a creative type of “process” booth, be sure you don’t cut corners on the things that matter. How your booth looks says a lot about your company. Always put carpet in the booth; it warms the displays and makes it easier for those working and standing on their feet all day.

Have clean, up-to-date displays. Make sure your signage is clean and attractive. Keep your logo consistent. Consider putting dishes, glasses and other items in the display cabinets.

Working it

Getting the booth right is important, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. While you’re at the booth, you need to remember that this is not a day off from the showroom; rather, it’s a very important work day.

You have a chance to acquire numerous leads from people who are interested in remodeling their kitchen or bath.