Just last month, the National Hardware Show made history, increasing its attendance by 14 percent from 2007.
Held in Las Vegas from May 6 to 8, this year’s event, featuring Lawn & Garden World, showcased the latest products for the home and outdoors.
“With the real estate market remaining in flux, we were pleased with the increase in overall attendance,” said Senior Vice President Dennis MacDonald. “Over 70 percent of the attending companies’ personnel hold executive positions, enabling them to make direct purchasing decisions.” With that said, it is great news for garden centers that the top two product categories of interest were hardware and lawn and garden.
MacDonald said the poor state of the economy has restricted more consumers to their homes. As a result, consumers have increased their purchasing of home and garden improvements: bad for the travel and leisure industry, great for the lawn and garden industry!
Along with 3,500 exhibitors and 150 product categories, the show featured several educational seminars, including Stan Pohmer’s presentation, “The New and Changing World of Sustainability,” sponsored by Lawn & Garden Retailer magazine. The seminar helped the industry prepare for consumers’ increasing interest in energy efficiency and environmentally friendly products.
The National Hardware Show takes place annually for industry members across the globe. For more information about the show, visit http://www.nationalhardwareshow.com/.
