By Stephanie Villella

Trade Show leads to big business for some

Mar 4, 2017 | 3:45 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The Home and Garden show is a place where companies go to sell and shoppers go to buy.

This year, 209 vendors participated in the trade show and over 11, 000 people attended.

The Home and Garden Trade Show gives businesses from Medicine Hat and surrounding areas an opportunity to come together under one roof and provide a one stop shop for the public to see several different vendors.

All types of businesses attend; from retailers, to home decoration, to audio visual, and health products.

One of the businesses that attended is a locally hand-made wood furniture company.  Wood Farm Wood Working has been to over 15 trade shows over the years and has said majority of their business comes from attending the shows.

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Owner of Wood Farm Wood Working, Sandra Sackmen said 90 per cent of sales comes from trade shows.

“They’re stopping by, they like the product, they like the quality of the product, picking up the [business] card, which is great exposure,” she said.

The shop creates custom made solid wood furniture and delivers across the prairies, however, the store front is located in Medicine Hat.

“Medicine Hat is more central,” said Colin Gauthier, woodworker. “We were going to try it and find out if we could get a niche in Medicine Hat and I think we have found it.”

The store opened just last year, prior to that, they solely relied on trade shows to market their product.

“We’re handing out business cards for our store in Medicine Hat, so it’s actually generating awareness for people so that they know that we actually are in Medicine Hat,” said Gauthier.

Sackmen and Gauthier both agreed that pariticipating in trade shows is the best exposure for them.

Paula Stodalka, trade show manager, said it is a great way to promote business and boost the economy.

“With the economy, with the way that is it, it really just shows that businesses are working hard to make sure that people know they’re out there,” said Stodalka. “They want them to come do business with them and so we’re really really pleased that we can provide that opportunity for them,” she said.

The Home and Garden Trade Show runs all weekend and will end Sunday at 4 p.m