Seven fairs under one roof

The organisers of this year’s National Hardware Show, which is due to be held 4 – 6 May 2010 in Las Vegas, USA, are expecting more than 2 300 exhibitors. The fair, which is being staged for the 65th time, is expected to attract the attendance of 15 000 trade visitors. Following the introduction a year ago of a new structure, the event is now subdivided into “7 shows within a show”. The two largest segments are Hardware and Tools, alongside Lawn, Garden and Outdoor Living. More than 900 exhibitors are expected to participate in each of these. The Homewares area is count-ing on displaying the products of more than 300 companies, and around 250 manufacturers have registered for each of two other fair segments, Plumbing and Electrical. Finally there will be about 200 firms exhibiting under the heading of Storage and Organization. The National Hardware Show is organised by Reed Exhibitions with the support of the North America Retail Hardware Association (NRHA). It is regarded as the most important event for the highly fragmented $ 343 bn “home after market”, the market for products sold for the home after it has been built. In excess of 27 000 trade visitors are expected to attend the event in the Las Vegas Convention Center. These are retailers, distributors, wholesalers, importers and exporters, manufacturers and industry professionals. Some of the areas they come from are hardware stores, home centres, home décor, lawn and garden, lumber and building supply. The special programme organised to accompany the fair provides a great number of talks, round table events and award ceremonies. The keynote speakers have been announced: Bridget Brennan, CEO Female Factor, taking as her subject, “Why she buys: The new strategy for reaching the world’s most powerful consumers” and Donald G. Soderquist, former Senior Vice Chairman of Wal-Mart, on “Ethical leadership; imagine the possible; the impact of culture on success.” Three central staging areas have been designated for the supplementary programme: the Central Hall Lobby with the NRHA stage and industry summit stage, the Show Floor of the Central Hall for the PDRA enterprise stage, and the North Hall Lobby for the lawn, garden and outdoor living stage.Download: