July 15, 2011
It’s official, agreement signed to co-locate Blooms and Home Show
The board of directors of Canada Blooms and Marketplace Events, organizers of The National Home Show, officially signed an agreement that will see the two events be side-by-side next year at the Direct Energy Centre.
The two shows under one roof will make it the single largest home and garden experience in North America.
“The idea for co-locating the events is a natural extension of our audience interests,” explained Tom Baugh, ceo of Marketplace Events. “Guests attending The National Home Show, consistently tell us they want to see bigger and better gardens and floral displays.”
“Putting these events side-by-side creates a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” says Gerry Ginsberg, general manager of Canada Blooms. “We strongly believe this co-location will allow us to achieve a new standard of excellence and significantly enhance the customer experience for hundreds of thousands of garden and home enthusiasts throughout Ontario.”
Both groups emphasize that the agreement to co-locate is not a merger, nor is Marketplace Events purchasing Canada Blooms. Each event will maintain its own identity and operate separately, expanding into a larger footprint of 600,000 square feet. This will make it Canada’s largest consumer event under one roof.
The shows will run for ten days, from Mar. 16 to 25, 2012, at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. Blooms was open six days this year. With Canada Blooms Marketplace moving into Heritage Court, the feature gardens and floral displays will be in Hall A. The National Home Show will occupy the remainder of the exhibit space, including Halls B, C, D, North Extension (Hall H) and the Industry Building (Hall G), where the feature home will continue to be located, as well as the previously unused East Annex (Hall F).
The Marketplace Events team will sell all exhibit space for both events, including the Canada Blooms Marketplace, while the Canada Blooms team will focus on the expanded feature gardens, educational programs and floral displays. Sponsorship will continue to be sold separately by each event, although cross-over packages will be available for those interested in partnering for both events.
A single ticket will allow attendees to visit either, or both events. A recent audience survey confirmed that 47 per cent of respondents have attended both events in the past and 62 per cent indicated that the opportunity to see both events for one ticket price would make it more likely they would attend. Over 40 per cent of respondents said they would likely purchase a two-day pass. Based on the survey results, two-day passes and an all-access pass, good all days of the events, will also be sold.
“The survey results, combined with already intense exhibitor interest, confirms the thinking by both groups that co-locating these events will create an exciting dynamic experience for our guests, exhibitors and respective organizations,” said Baugh.
“It’s a progressive move for the betterment of the GTA’s horticultural community,” added Ginsberg, “and a decision that will elevate the not-for-profit status of Canada Blooms.”
The two shows under one roof will make it the single largest home and garden experience in North America.
“The idea for co-locating the events is a natural extension of our audience interests,” explained Tom Baugh, ceo of Marketplace Events. “Guests attending The National Home Show, consistently tell us they want to see bigger and better gardens and floral displays.”
“Putting these events side-by-side creates a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” says Gerry Ginsberg, general manager of Canada Blooms. “We strongly believe this co-location will allow us to achieve a new standard of excellence and significantly enhance the customer experience for hundreds of thousands of garden and home enthusiasts throughout Ontario.”
Both groups emphasize that the agreement to co-locate is not a merger, nor is Marketplace Events purchasing Canada Blooms. Each event will maintain its own identity and operate separately, expanding into a larger footprint of 600,000 square feet. This will make it Canada’s largest consumer event under one roof.
The shows will run for ten days, from Mar. 16 to 25, 2012, at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. Blooms was open six days this year. With Canada Blooms Marketplace moving into Heritage Court, the feature gardens and floral displays will be in Hall A. The National Home Show will occupy the remainder of the exhibit space, including Halls B, C, D, North Extension (Hall H) and the Industry Building (Hall G), where the feature home will continue to be located, as well as the previously unused East Annex (Hall F).
The Marketplace Events team will sell all exhibit space for both events, including the Canada Blooms Marketplace, while the Canada Blooms team will focus on the expanded feature gardens, educational programs and floral displays. Sponsorship will continue to be sold separately by each event, although cross-over packages will be available for those interested in partnering for both events.
A single ticket will allow attendees to visit either, or both events. A recent audience survey confirmed that 47 per cent of respondents have attended both events in the past and 62 per cent indicated that the opportunity to see both events for one ticket price would make it more likely they would attend. Over 40 per cent of respondents said they would likely purchase a two-day pass. Based on the survey results, two-day passes and an all-access pass, good all days of the events, will also be sold.
“The survey results, combined with already intense exhibitor interest, confirms the thinking by both groups that co-locating these events will create an exciting dynamic experience for our guests, exhibitors and respective organizations,” said Baugh.
“It’s a progressive move for the betterment of the GTA’s horticultural community,” added Ginsberg, “and a decision that will elevate the not-for-profit status of Canada Blooms.”