The 40th edition of the Auckland Home Show has closed to rave reviews after completion of its first show in three years.

The show defied expectations with more-than 300 exhibitors reporting solid orders and pent-up demand from the ten-of-thousands of visitors that came through the gates.

Despite a slightly smaller show this time, due to unavailability of large-scale marquees, Amanda Magnus, General Manager, Exhibitions and Events New Zealand is over the moon with the strong attendance and positive feedback.

“We know that the Auckland Home Show has an incredibly loyal following, but after three years of COVID delays, and plenty of warnings from economists, we really weren’t sure if it would hit the heights of past events.

“As it turned out, the customers were out in force, looking for a good deal and advice from the experts,” she says.

One of those experts, Russell Clark from Licensed Renovations reports a huge response from their Auckland Home Show participation.

“I've had so many inquiries the last few days at the Show - bungalows, villa renovations bathrooms, kitchens, decks… We've got so many inquiries from a diverse range of people,” says Clark.

“The inquiries we've got have been excellent. Everyone seems really well-informed. Some of them are coming with plans, and pictures on their phones of what they're trying to achieve. So yeah, that's been really, really cool,” he said.

Paul Dyson, Managing Director of Eco Pod makes relocatable buildings - anything from a granny flat through to a four bedroom house. This is the second time he’s exhibited at the Auckland Home Show, but says sales leads have been exceptionally strong this year.

“Those leads range from people who just saw our show home and thought: "Hey, we could do something like this in our backyard." Or people who've said: "We've been looking for ages and we've found this product that looks like the quality we need."

“We've also had a few B2B contacts, some people have come and said, "We're looking to do Retirement Village. Could you make a retirement village with 25 homes?"

“We were expecting it to be good, but nowhere near the volume and the quality of the leads that we've had. We're really pleased to have been here,” he said.

Dale Jamieson Business Development Manager for Spa World Australia and New Zealand has been doing shows for years, but likewise has been delighted with the response this year.

Spa World products are comparatively big ticket items, but interest was strong.

“Our lowest dollar-value sale we've made has been $10,000. Our highest dollar value was $65,000, and that was one of our beautiful swim spas that we have here.

“The great thing about a home show is that we're actually able to take orders 12 months in advance. So what that means for us is that we can pre-plan our stock, pre-plan our forecasting and our figures and so on. So, attending home shows like this is perfect for our business because it just sets the foundation for the next 12 months for what we've got to come,” he said

Amanda Magnus says that it is hard to gauge the actual value of sales taken at the show but a survey done at a past show indicated that $30M worth of business happens at the Auckland Home Show each year, providing months of work for the companies involved,” says Magnus.

“Visitors know they can bring their plans and ideas, and can walk away with a list of suppliers, competitive quotations and in many cases, significant discounts over what they’d pay in a showroom or retail store,” she says.

For the first time since 1993, the Auckland Home Show will be happening twice this year, with a Spring/Summer Auckland Home Show happening on the 7 - 10 September.

“We needed to hold two shows this year to cater to pent-up demand from exhibitors. So, if this show is anything to go by, the September show will be huge.

“We can’t wait,” she said.

See www.aucklandhomeshow.co.nz

© Scoop Media