Five things to know before NHS
1. New Show Floor Layout
This year’s show is designed for excitement — NHS has made some major changes to the floor plan, which will make it easier for buyers to find what’s new and not miss out on any of the networking and awards events taking place throughout the Show. The Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living and Hardware categories will move over to the South Hall, offering one location to see Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living, Hardware & Tools, Pet Products and Farm & Ranch. This move helped reorganize Homewares, PDRA Paint & Accessories Show, Plumbing & Electrical, and International Sourcing in the Central Hall. This also allows for the co-located Lancaster Buying Show to be located directly in the Central Hall. The feature areas will also move onto the Show floor, where attendees will find Made in the USA, NRHA Village, Homewares and Lawn, Garden and Outdoor Living Awards programs, New Product World and Social Media Zone. And finally, the Tailgate area will move in between Central and South Halls, serving as a connection point between both halls.
2. Expanded Categories
One of the big surprises from 2014, which will expand in 2015, is the Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Recovery category. Located within the Homewares area, this category will double in size and feature over 50 exhibiting companies with products focused on making sure consumers are prepared in case of emergency and providing the tools to recover if a disaster should occur.
3. New Exhibitors
In addition to some of the category changes, each product category will highlight exhibitors brand new to the show, allowing attendees to easily discover new brands and products within their target product categories. New Products: Inventors Spotlight is always a huge success, as buyers can view never-before-seen products from over 120 brand new inventors. In addition, the show will host over 800 new companies in all categories, and over 1,000 new products located in the New Product World and New Product Launch areas. Also new this year, buyers and sellers will be matched based on their needs at the Show. So if buyer attendees are looking for new products, they should fill out their registration information as accurately as possible, and the Show will provide them with a matched list of “must-see” exhibitors.
4. More Buying Opportunities
The Show is launching an entirely new concept this year where buyers will have the opportunity to bid for products being auctioned off from exhibiting companies, right on the Show floor. Products will range from overstock to floor models, and all attendees will bid directly from their mobile or tablet devices (if you don’t have one, the Show has got you covered). The auction will run throughout the Show — additional details coming soon!
5. It’s the Show’s 70th Anniversary
As the National Hardware Show celebrates “70 Years Young,” there are many more new initiatives, programs and surprises in store. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements in the near future about the happenings at this year’s National Hardware Show.
