About the Home Show - Celebrating over 60 years!
"It's All Here" at the 2010 Home Show!
From March 11th-14th, the largest Home Show in southern New England comes to the Rhode Island Convention Center. The Home Show has been sponsored by the Rhode Island Builders Association for over 60 years. Close to 300 exhibitors will showcase the latest in building and remodeling trends, many with an emphasis on green technology.
Seminars
Experts will present seminars on Green Building, How To Hire A Contractor, New Trends in Kitchen & Bath Design, Better Use of Space in Your Home, Landscape Design and Staying In Your Home As You Age. This year’s RIBA member presenters include Felix Carlone of F.A. Carlone & Sons, Steve St. Onge of R.I. Kitchen & Bath, Dan Paquette of DJP Consulting, and Joe Cracco of Modern Yankee Builders.
The Home Show is always thinking "green". Don't miss our eco-friendly billboard on Route 95 starting in February. Many exhibitors will be displaying products which use green technology and our Green Pavilion will feature literature on green products.
Cooking Demonstrations
The fully applianced cooking demonstration kitchen will be set up again this year for chefs from Newport Restaurant Week to prepare and serve signature dishes, complete with samples.
Rejuvenation Room
Don’t miss this popular attraction, which will be open Thursday through Saturday evenings for wine, cheese and fudge tastings, chair massages and mini facials!
Fun for the whole family!
Balloon animals and face painting will entertain
young and old, and on Saturday and Sunday the Kaleidoscope Theatre will perform
“The Magic of Story Time,” with appearances by Snow White, Cinderella and Rapunzel.
Sunday is Family Fun Day, with children under 12 admitted Free.
RIBA Member Night
Members have been mailed complimentary passes to RIBA Member Night on Thursday, the opening day of the show. Mingle with members, visit member exhibitors, and don’t forget to stop by our booth to say hello to the RIBA staff.
Exhibitors
There’s still time to reserve a booth! The show attracts thousands of visitors from southern New England who are current and prospective homeowners interested in building, remodeling, redecorating, financing, landscaping, energy efficiency, and much more.
More information is available here, or you may contact Yoffe Exposition Services (800) 963-3395.
History of the Home Show
The Home Show began in 1948 as the "Home Builders Exposition," the Rhode Island Builders Association's (RIBA's) prime contribution to National Home Week, and has become the association's premier public event.
That first show, chaired by RIBA charter member Albert J. Lamarre of Pawtucket, had 52 exhibitors and created an immediate sensation. In 1949, it became "The Home Builders Show" and, until 1952, the show took place at the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence.
The only interruption came in 1954, courtesy of Hurricane Carol, when the show had to be cancelled, but RIBA caught up again in 1955 with "The Home Festival" that spring.
Over the last half century, RIBA's annual show has gone through 16 names, has been managed by eight different production companies and has taken place in seven different locations, reflecting the ever-wider scope of home ownership.
In 1994, the Home Show moved into the brand new Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. Since that year, the show has basked in 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and is enjoyed by thousands of visitors each day, a far cry from that humble start in 1948!