Excitement, Energy & Backyards
May is a busy time at the garden center, but there are many reasons why you may want to mark your calendar for The National Hardware Show, May 7-9, in Las Vegas. Lawn & Garden Retailer talked with Richard Russo, vice president of the National Hardware Show, who broke down the can’t-miss aspects of the annual event at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
We’re going to break down five new elements of the show.
Backyard Marketplace
The Tailgate, Backyard & BBQ area has been a staple of the National Hardware Show for approximately 10 years now, but new this year is Backyard Marketplace, an area focused on having lawn and garden products on display outdoors.
“We have a ton of customers that are in the Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living area inside the show floor that don’t really have the opportunity to showcase their products outside,” Russo says. “They like their space inside on the show floor, but they would like to see their products out in the tailgate area, so we are creating this area outside called the Marketplace.
“We’re really focusing on the opportunities to connect with retailers by showcasing a new product or a great new deal.”
The area around the Backyard Marketplace also will be more of a show feature where attendees can have lunch, grab a cocktail, take a break or see products in action, all while escaping the heat for a bit.
“We’re really excited for the whole atmosphere,” Russo says. “It’s not just a product display but more like if you were going to a market: you can see product, watch cooking demonstrations, sample things and then also get yourself some relief.”
Tiny Living
A brand-new introduction at the National Hardware Show tackles one of the hottest trends right now: tiny homes. Tiny Living @ NHS will showcase a number of tiny homes in the Tailgate, Backyard & BBQ area along with the small outdoor spaces many home dwellers make part of their lives.
“A lot of people are really focusing on what they can do outside with awnings, firepits, and decking components and keeping those things to a small, minimalistic footprint obviously,” Russo says. “We’ve seen a lot of people coming in that are having these types of products, and we hadn’t necessarily gotten them before into the National Hardware Show.”
Tiny Living also will include a full two-day conference track dedicated to the subject and intended for builders, communities and municipalities who want to know more about zoning regulations, or retailers who are trying to understand how to go about selling these types of products.
Smart Homes
Smart homes also continue to explode with systems such as Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home and countless others. On the show floor this year, attendees can walk through a smart home and engage with the products.
“We want the smart home to be interactive and for people to hook their products up to showcase the functionality through their products,” Russo says. “That’s everything from the outdoor lighting to doorbells and security cameras to certainly everything inside that can be controlled by one of the smart home systems.”
Hot Hits
There are other new features of the National Hardware Show that are not category- specific but are meant to help out you, the buyers. Through the show’s mobile app, attendees can scan any product in one of the feature areas — new product zones, product launches areas, made in the U.S. sections, etc. — to find out more information on the item.
Hot Hits will be a live feed at various places throughout the show floor, online and on the mobile app of what buyers are scanning at that very instant.
“At any time a buyer can say, ‘This is one of the hottest products on the show floor right now,’” Russo says. “It’s really going to highlight some of the brand-new, trending products that are out on the show floor.”
The top Hot Hits product will also receive a People’s Choice Award at the show.
Steals & Deals
Another new section on the show floor is Steals and Deals. Russo says that the show is asking exhibitors to come forward with their biggest and best discounts that they’ll offer at the show. These could be new products, but it could also be overstock, discontinued items or products in inventory.
The National Hardware Show will find the top five deals in each category, one being Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living, and will promote them to attendees throughout the mobile app and on site at the show.
The Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living, category will also choose three NHS award- winners for standout new products.
For more information on these new show features or to register to attend the 2019 National Hardware Show, visit www.nationalhardwareshow.com.
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