Heads Up for Atlanta: HPBExpo 2008 Could Be the Biggest Show Yet

There’s a reason we chose “The Great Indoor-Outdoor Adventure” as the theme for HPBExpo 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.

· Hearth, grill, and outdoor room product manufacturers are still on a roll. They’re creating new materials, engineering more efficient products, and demonstrating even more ways to add new comforts and conveniences inside and outside American homes.

· Specialty retailers are looking beyond the traditional marketing and sales tactics of selling to walk-ins. Investments in larger interior and exterior showrooms, partnerships with professional service firms (architects, landscapers, stone masons, and interior designers), grilling demos, and other “retailer outreach” are paying off in bigger sales tickets.

· And consumers keep coming back for more! A fireplace in the bathroom? A kitchen on the patio? A television by the pool? Affluent homeowners are hooked on innovation, style, comfort, and convenience.

These factors and more suggest that, despite the current slowdown in new home sales and in remodeling, this industry is still going strong. I can say that with confidence for several reasons.

1. Fireplaces still rank among the top three features desired by new home buyers (after outdoor porches and upgraded kitchens.
2. In 2006 the barbecue industry had its highest year-to-year growth rate ever—a 15% increase over the previous year—with more than 17 million grills shipped.
3. According to the National Association of Home Buyers, a patio or deck is one of the top three features most requested by new home buyers.
4. Leisure lifestyle industry is now a $6.2 billion industry, up 5.4% in just a few years.


Another big reason is the success of HPBExpo 2007 in Reno.

· HPBExpo 2007 buyers represented more than 2,000 buying entities. That’s huge! And this number has been strong for the last three years.
· 118 of the 474 exhibitors were first-timers—a record! What does it mean that nearly 25% of all exhibitors had never been on the show floor? It means new products you’ve never seen; new contacts; new ideas. In short, more of the best the industry can produce.
· 92% of 2007 attendees are optimistic about the future of their businesses over the next few years. They should be! The economy is good. The market is growing. Let’s go!
· 75% of HPBExpo 2007 attendees visited the New Product Pavilion. “To see new products” is the number-one reason HPBExpo survey respondents say they come to the show. We’re already at work securing a bigger footprint for this pavilion and packing it with even more exciting products for the show in Atlanta.

Looking to Atlanta

In early 2004, Hearth & Home editor Richard Wright looked ahead to HPBExpo 2005 and predicted, “Atlanta will be the biggest, and most likely the best, show in the history of the HPBA.” It turned out he was right: It was a record-breaker. In attendance, buying entities, numbers of exhibitors—all around, we topped out in Atlanta.

And we’re eager to get back and see what we can do to topple those three-year-old records. Here’s what we’ve got going for us:

· A big, hospitable, aim-to-please city that’s easy to get to from anywhere in the country.
· A superb convention facility—The Georgia World Congress Center—in the heart of downtown.
· An East Coast location that’s within a day’s drive—or less—of thousands of prospective attendees.
· And, most important of all, a vigorous, innovative industry that will bring all the serious players—both buyers and suppliers—under one roof for four days of tradeshow excitement.

Just in case it’s not on your calendar yet, make a note:

HPBExpo 2008
Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Exposition: February 28 – March 1, 2008
Education: February 27 – March 1, 2008

As our programming and special events take shape, we’ll keep you posted.

Me, a Blogger?

If you had told me five years ago that I’d be a blogger, I would have said, “No way!” Of course, I wouldn’t have known what a blogger was, either, but it sounded, to me, like something I wouldn’t want to do. But I’m getting on the bandwagon because I see it’s a good way to share some thoughts with all of you. And, it’s a good way for you to add your two cents’ worth as a comment. Trust me, once you start commenting, and then someone comments on your comment, you’ll be hooked!

So let me have it. Your thoughts, questions, ideas, requests—on your business, the industry, the show in Reno, the show coming up in Atlanta. Ball’s in your court!

Jack Goldman, President
Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association