Media
Review of the 2007 edition
Another exciting edition of the Montreal National Home Show, presented by RE/MAX, came to an end on March 25th! Over 500 exhibitors and industry partners welcomed 155,000 visitors, who came for advice and information on the best renovation, construction, decoration and landscaping products in the world.
Great economic returns for exhibitors
According to an interactive visitor survey, most people made a purchase during the Show, representing 86,000 transactions totalling about $51 million in sales. And more than ¾ of visitors say they intend to buy something from an exhibitor in the next 6 months, representing 116,000 transactions and potential economic returns of over $409 million!
Given that the Show’s image reflects on exhibitors, and vice versa, we were very pleased to have received a customer satisfaction rate of 91% for quality and service at booths!
Source: Survey conducted by InQuery, an independent polling firm, between March 16 and 25, 2007
Your efforts could take you far!
Aside form the hundred or so articles and mentions generated through interviews given by our Show spokesperson and designers of the Intemporelle and Maison de Bois Urbaine attractions, exhibitors not only made headlines in the Montreal press, but in media across Québec. Among others, Jocelyn Belleville obtained visibility for his creations in La Presse and Le Soleil, and Muralunique.com was featured in an article in the Mon Toit section of La Presse.
The Show also served as a great platform for increasing brand visibility, as attested by Dell’s decision to make its presence at the Show part of its overall communications strategy.
What industry partners and exhibitors are saying about the 28th edition
“The Montreal National Home Show has been a cherished tradition for 28 years. Consumers view the Show’s longevity as a badge of honour that reflects on the entire industry. We at RE/MAX have been proud partners of this event since 2005.”
Marc Lacasse, Vice-President of Marketing, RE/MAX Québec inc. www.remax-Québec.com
“Professionals and visitors look forward to this event all year because it enables them to discover innovations, and affordable, quality solutions for just about any renovation or construction project. They can find the best experts and the most cutting edge products in Québec under one roof!”
GAU Designs & Concepts, www.gaudesigns.com
“The returns generated at the Show were incredible. We sold twice as many high-end products as last year, and traffic at our booth was so busy that we had to hire more people. We’re thrilled with our results. It was the best show of the year in every way. We’ll definitely be back in 2008!”
Sylvain Bonneau, CEO, Maison Éthier www.maisonethier.com
“We just wanted to express how satisfied we were with our experience at the 2007 Montreal National Home Show, where we launched our featured product, TORRIFIED WOOD. The Show provided us with a wonderful opportunity to showcase this new product and its many applications, to increase our notoriety, and to develop solid associations with industry experts and consumers. We will definitely be at the 2008 show! We also wanted to express our sincere thanks to Expo Media’s entire staff for their incredible dedication and expertise.”
Luc Savard, Executive Vice-President, Groupe Servicom www.groupeservicom.com
“We found the experience so rewarding that we’re now looking into the possibility of getting involved in one of the Show’s major projects next year. The visibility we enjoyed enabled us to present our products to a huge crowd, and we met customers with a serious interest in acquiring one of our pre-fabricated models.”
Martin Michaud, Business Development, Maisons Marcoux Inc. www.maisonsmarcoux.com
“Our involvement in the Intemporelle project led to many wonderful associations with industry experts who share our vision of excellence. We worked with seasoned professionals, both in the industry and on the Show’s production team. It’s obvious that the Show caters to proactive consumers with serious buying intentions. We’re so glad that we decided to participate this year!”
Patrick Lefebvre, Partner, Aménagement Denis & Fils www.adef.qc.ca
“Although we started our business last fall, our real launch was at the Show. We got to promote our murals, handed out about 6,000 business cards, and doubled our Website traffic.”
Pierre Cousineau, Owner, www.muralunique.com
“We obtained a lot of visibility at the Show. Our presence in the Maison de bois urbaine, at the Outdoor Living Terrace, and at our booth was definitely the perfect strategy for showcasing the scope of our products. Many Show visitors became JC Perreault customers.”
Meubles JC Perreault www.jcperreault.com
“The Show’s visitors make this event a pleasant, stimulating and rewarding experience year after year. You can count on us to be there again in 2008.”
Clément Hudon, President, Trévi www.trevi.net
Our dedicated spokesperson
Brilliant, creative and a wiz at interior design, Manon LeBlanc was instrumental in making the 28th edition of the Show a huge media success. The interviews she gave appeared on television, radio, newspapers and magazines, and on the Internet. The March issue of Inspiration magazine of which Manon is the director dedicated five pages to the products and services of various Show exhibitors.
In addition to presenting a “before and after” kitchen showcasing the products of Show exhibitors, this consummate professional was often seen circulating around the exhibition hall to observe the trends and innovations that were being presented by exhibitors.
“It was such a great experience! I was able to meet many industry representatives and learn a great deal about the new products that are out on the market, especially on the wood and bamboo front. The exhibitors generously shared their know-how, and these new contacts are definitely going to serve me well in my own projects this year. The 10-day Show was also a great opportunity to mingle with the public and to chat with fans of my show.
“I was also thoroughly impressed by the number and the variety of exhibitors and all the visitor traffic. The Show is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for the industry to present its products and services, and I could see that people were making the most of it. In fact, many exhibitors told me that they had made their sales quota for the year!
“The Montreal National Home Show is a win-win experience for merchants and consumers alike!”
Manon LeBlanc, spokesperson of the 28th edition
Profile of Show visitors and event appreciation
The Montreal National Home Show attracts a young and diversified crowd
- The average age of visitors is 40, and 75% are aged between 25 and 54.
- The average household income of visitors is $75,000, and most are professionals.
- 75% of visitors are homeowners.
Why do visitors come?
Show visitors say they primarily come to get ideas for their projects and that they also come to learn about new home and garden products. They say they like being able to compare products, to meet specialists, and to see on-site demonstrations.
The ultimate Home Show
One-third of visitors say they come to home shows to get the information they need to plan their projects. They say that the Montreal National Home Show is a must-see event. The fact that 72% say that it’s the only annual show they attend certainly attests to its prominence.
Loyal customers who keep coming back
While 80% of visitors had been to the Show before, 1 in 5 discovered it for the first time this year.
Handymen at heart
Show visitors are made up of seasoned and amateur handymen who like to tackle minor projects on their own. And these projects involve the garden and just about every room in the house, including the basement, the washroom and the kitchen.
Savvy, informed customers
According to the survey, most visitors visit the Show’s Website to look up information before coming to the Show. They first conduct Internet or in-store searches before making a purchase, and obtain documentation from specialized decoration publications before starting a project.
Source: Survey of Show visitors conducted by InQuery between March 16 and 25, 2007
Readyforimprovement.com: a great platform for exhibitors!
More than 63% of visitors say they visited www.readyforimprovement.com to find information. No wonder so many exhibitors seeking to better serve their customers and gain visibility advertise on the site!
The www.readyforimprovement.com Website address appeared in all our communications and advertising initiatives. The publicity proved to very fruitful: In March, 58,000 unique visitors logged onto the Website, where they remained for an average of 5 minutes.
Exhibitors can also take advantage of the great visibility tools provided on the site, including exhibitor fact sheets and advertising banners of various sizes.
Outlook on the renovation and housing market
Rénovex indicator: more and more people are becoming handymen
According to Association des détaillants de matériaux de construction du Québec’s Rénovex indicator, more than 8 in 10 households referred to themselves as renovators or handymen in 2006, a rate that has been climbing steadily since 2004.
Change in renovation purchase amounts
In 2006, the average renovator/handyman spent as much (41%) or more (17%) on their projects than they did in 2005; more than one-third say they spent less than in 2005 ($141 less per household). Rénovex indicators also reveal that, in the past year, the average value of a renovator/handyman’s tool kit rose by $132 in Québec, for a total of $1770 in September 2006. A difference between owner households ($2,076) and tenant households ($738) was also noted.
Hammer or roller? Trends for 2007
The ADMACQ predicts that renovation expenses for 2007 will represent about $2,050 per household, exceeding renovation expenses for 2006. The renovation intentions of Québec households in 2007 mainly pertain to indoor projects, including painting (64%), decoration (56%) and renovation (53%), with bathrooms and floor coverings included in their major projects. Outdoor projects are also on the minds of Quebecers: 46% of Québec households say they intend to start a landscaping project and 39% intend to start an outdoor renovation project.
Source: ADMACQ – www.admacq.qc.ca
Housing news and annual forecasts for Canada and Québec
New housing market: After an exceptionally sharp rise in housing starts in January, the market returned to normal levels in February, and is expected to rise again in the coming months, with a total of 209,500 housing starts in 2007 for Canada.
Resale market: Still for Canada, a significant growth in M.L.S.* sales was noted in January compared to both the previous month (a 4.2% gain compared to December 2006) and to January 2006 (a 9.5% increase in the actual number of M.L.S. sales). An increase in the number of new listings for the month of January was also noted.
Sources: CMHC – Housing Now – Canada, March 2007
Housing Market Outlook – Canada, First Quarter 2007
* Multiple Listing Service
What’s in store for 2008?
The experience of our exhibitors and industry partners was very positive once again this year, and we’re proud to announce that to date 48% of them have renewed for 2008. If you haven’t reserved your space for 2008 yet, be sure to contact an exhibition consultant soon!
The 2008 show will be held at Place Bonaventure from March 14 to 23.
Spaces are available at a cost of $23.95 per square foot.
New Products Circuit: even more visibility!
The 2007 New Products Circuit sponsored by Decormag magazine was very successful this year, enabling exhibitors to present their products and services to visitors and the media. To be a part of this circuit, your product or service must be new and innovative. If you are selected, your product will be mentioned in the circuit guide and presented on site via a new products showcase. A new product decal will be placed on the floor along the aisle of your booth.
Submit your new product or service today!
Want to increase your visibility?
Taking part in the Montreal National Home Show enables you to stand out from the crowd and to enrich the visitor experience. But have you ever thought of getting involved in a feature home or another feature where you could showcase your products or supply your materials? Your innovative products could also be featured in a choice location through a showcase, or in an indoor garden, if you sell landscaping products, for example. The possibilities are endless, so if you’re thinking of increasing your visibility, our General Manager, Hélène Côté, would be pleased to help you come up with a plan that is sure to meet your goals. Give her a call today! 514-527-9221 extension 282