PROVIDENCE – After an extended pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of Rhode Island’s longest-running conventions will once again feel like home in early April in more ways than one.
The Rhode Island Home Show, led by the Rhode Island Builders Association, will return to the R.I. Convention Center between April 7-10. The event will welcome more than 200 exhibitors representing the home construction industry, along with seminars, workshops and other unique events.
In March 2020, the Rhode Island Home Show was among the first large-scale events to be canceled when the pandemic took hold of the Ocean State. It’s also among the last to come back live, according to John Marcantonio, the builders association’s CEO.
The home show, Marcantonio said, has been a staple convention in the Ocean State since 1950 and there was a “real possibility” that the show would become another COVID-19 casualty. But Marcantonio credited the commitment and dedication brought forth by the exhibitors to put the show on hold temporarily and bring it back live.
“There were so many great partners to our show, from the energy people to the garden clubs and the flower groups … to help collectively move it forward,” he said. “Everyone was patient enough to allow us to do that.”
He also said the builders association did obtain a Paycheck Protection Program loan and had some members contribute more to the association’s bottom line to make up for finances that were lost in part to the home show being on hiatus. The association also adjusted its business model to focus more on contractor training to bring in additional revenue during the health crisis, Marcantonio said.
Marcantonio also said the state was helpful to the business association to both provide credits to use for convention center space and keep the construction industry active during the pandemic when other sectors were forced to temporarily close.
Along with having seminars, displays and workshops, the upcoming home show will also feature the Rhode Island Specialty Flower Show and its floral competition, the Energy Expo, the Connected Home Showcase to highlight home technology, all-electric home displays and an opportunity to tour an outdoor living and garden oasis. The show will also have activities for children.
Marcantonio added the show is coming back live at a time when housing is a “big issue,” between remodeling, new construction and restoration, as well as affordable housing. He said there’s a significant demand for contractors in the state and, with the home show returning, it will give consumers the chance to again meet contractors about possible housing projects.
“There were a lot of thoughts about whether the economy would tank. But when it comes to our sector, housing has boomed and continued to boom,” Marcantonio said. “This show has not been available for a while, and it is a resource for thousands of people in the state.”
The show will also have displays and features built by students enrolled in local career and technical high schools. Marcantonio said the partnership between the home show and the local schools – created in 2015 – was built so that students have an “industry relationship” to help them build construction careers.
“The show is now more a community tool for recruitment into the industry,” Marcantonio said.
Tickets to attend the home show can be purchased onsite at the convention center or online on the home show’s website.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
