Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Following a postponement earlier this year, the National Hardware Show (NHS) has now cancelled its 2020 gathering, which was set to take place Sept. 1-3 in Las Vegas. Event organizers say the decision to cancel was made to prioritize the health and safety of retail visitors, exhibitors and channel partners.
Instead of an in-person event, NHS plans to host a virtual trade show later this year dedicated to providing education and support that recognizes and addresses the needs of the home improvement industry.
“The hardware industry has been greatly impacted by the global pandemic and hundreds of our international exhibitors have been forced to cancel their plans to participate in NHS due to market conditions and continued travel restrictions,” says Randy Field, group vice president, Reed Exhibitions. “At the NHS, we pride ourselves on being the leading industry gathering place and while we recognize and appreciate how important the Show is to the community, we believe it is the right decision to transition it to a virtual experience for 2020.”
Earlier this year, NHS launched a virtual platform called NHS Connects, which features regularly updated news and resources for the home improvement industry.
“Following the May postponement, we prioritized making NHS Connects the place for the hardware and home improvement community to come together to source information. It will soon be where connections, direct appointment setting, and virtual product showcases will debut. We will also be adding a virtual trade show component to this digital platform that enables networking and we look forward to utilizing that platform to allow business to continue. We seek to encourage attendees, exhibitors and all of the NHS community to explore the platform and utilize it until we meet again in person in 2021,” says Field.
Event organizers say the event’s mission of connecting members of the home improvement channel has not changed.
“Our entire team is dedicated to supporting all of our customers and partners,” says Rich Russo, industry vice president, NHS. “We are passionate about providing new options such as NHS Connects and look forward to continuing business virtually and creating innovative experiences for when we can hold an in-person event in 2021. We are reimagining the entire physical trade show, so look forward to new initiatives, new pavilions and neighborhoods, and a complete transformation of NHS for 2021.”
