Marketplace Events Signs Agreement to Colocate with Canada Blooms Creating Single Largest Home and Garden Event in North America

SOLON, Ohio - Marketplace Events, organizers of the National Home Show, and the Board of Directors of Canada Blooms: The Flower and Garden Festival, signed an agreement May 26 confirming the two powerhouse events will take place side-by-side in 2012 and subsequent years at the Direct Energy Centre, creating the single largest home and garden experience in North America.

"The idea for colocating the shows is a natural extension of our audience interests," explained Tom Baugh, CEO of Marketplace Events. "Guests attending the National Home Show love the event but consistently tell us they want to see bigger and better gardens and floral displays. Guests - largely homeowners - attending Canada Blooms love this garden festival and will be thrilled in seeing its growth in size and quality under this new arrangement."

"Putting these events side-by-side creates a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," said Gerry Ginsberg, general manager of Canada Blooms. "We strongly believe this colocation 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 across Ontario that visit these events each year."

The agreement to colocate is not a merger, nor is Marketplace Events purchasing Canada Blooms. Each event will continue to maintain its own identity and operate separately, but in an expanded 598,297-square-feet of space and in the same date pattern, for ten days, from March 16-25, 2012, at the Direct Energy Centre.

Canada Blooms, presented by The Home Depot, will continue to create their feature gardens and floral displays, but in the larger Hall A of the Direct Energy Centre, which will allow it to expand to an even bigger garden footprint next year. The Canada Blooms "Marketplace" will move into Heritage Court. The National Home Show, presented by RE/MAX 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 innovative feature home will continue to be located, as well as the previously unused East Annex (Hall F). Ricoh Coliseum may also be used in future years as the two events expand.

The Marketplace Events team will sell all exhibit space in both events, including the Canada Blooms "Marketplace" while the Canada Blooms team will focus on creating the expanded feature gardens, garden educational programs and floral displays. Sponsorship will continue to be sold separately by each event although crossover packages will be available for those interested in partnering for both events. As a convenience to consumers, there will be a single admission price that will allow attendees to visit Canada Blooms, the National Home Show or both events.

Marketplace Events also announced today the acquisition of the Washington Home & Garden Show in D.C., from TJS Productions Inc., and the launch of a Home and Garden Show in Ark to take place January 27-29, 2012 at the new Little Rock Expo Center.

The company's acquisition of the regional Washington Home & Garden Show at the downtown Walter E. Washington Convention Center will bring the roster of shows in this market to four. Marketplace Events already produces successful shows in the D.C. area at the suburban Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Va. "Our acquisition of the D.C. Convention Center show complements our other shows that currently serve the Virginia and Maryland suburbs of D.C.," said Marketplace Events VP of Business Development Paul Schweitzer. "The size and central location of the convention center holds tremendous potential and our intent is to grow this event into one of the largest home and garden shows in the country."

The newly acquired Washington Home & Garden Show, which runs March 9-11, 2012, will be significantly larger than in years past and will attract homeowners from the Maryland suburbs, Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The three shows to be produced by Marketplace Events at Dulles Expo Center include: the Fall Capital Home Show to run September 23-25, 2011; the all-new Home & Remodeling Expo, January 20-22, 2012; and the Capital Home & Garden Show, February 24-26, 2012.

“We have also had great success producing new shows in Southern markets in the past few years, including shows in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Birmingham, Ala.," said Schweitzer, "and we look forward to producing another quality event at the new facility in Little Rock."

This announcement brings the Marketplace Events portfolio to 31 home shows produced annually in 21 markets including nine shows in Canada and 22 in the U.S.

For more information visit marketplaceevents.com or contact Paul Schweitzer, at 800-274-6948 x207 or via email at paul@marketplaceevents.com.