It’s more than a trade show — it’s a competition.
While most of those who attend the Oct. 5 Realtor-Builder Tradeshow and Luncheon at Alltel Stadium will be looking for ideas, some will be looking for a check.
The show includes four booth competitions, each worth $500 to the company’s favorite charity, plus the bragging rights for another year.
And one company with a lot of bragging rights is Palencia, which has won the “Best Theme” for the past two years.
And while they won’t give out their secrets — they said we’d have to wait and see — their booth is sure to be in contention for top prize once again.
The team’s philosophy is a simple one — it’s built on fun, said agent Pud English.
“It’s a fun project that the whole team gets involved in every year.”
It’s also an envy of many Realtors. One question that seems to come up: How do they get the prime location at the show?
Answer: They register before the ink is dry on the application.
“We always get our registration in very early,” said English. “Naomi (Broker Naomi Lumley) does it.”
This year’s theme for the event is “Northeast Florida, The Premier Showcase of the South.” While English won’t reveal Palencia’s booth theme, she did say it would be a triple booth. She said it was the creative talents of fellow agent Nita Roberts and the “talented team of people who help her” that have made the booth such a success.
“All of our creative people are in the mix,” said English. “They let me sit back and stuff tissue or make the sweet tea.”
English added that the group formulates ideas by shooting the breeze after hours. She said they spent a lot of time at Roberts’ house and countless hours constructing the booth, and she maintains that the important point is the team has fun.
The booth contests that will be evaluated by celebrity judges and checks will be given for best giveaways, best theme, most entertaining booth and most creative booth.
Organizers expect approximately 1,500 people to attend and they’ll see about 100 booths hosted by representatives in the industry, including builders, developers, mortgage companies, Realtors, media and more.
The event is presented by the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors and the Sales and Marketing Council of the Northeast Florida Builder’s Association. It’s scheduled from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. with a buffet luncheon from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Bronze level sponsorships are still available at $1,250. Companies interested in sponsoring the event for tickets can call Celeta McClamma at 394-9494, Ext. 1201. Tickets are $40 per person. For information on purchasing a booth, contact Portland Stuart at 421-0298.