The Newmarket Chamber of Commerce’s annual spring home and lifestyle show may have been called off due to the coronavirus crisis, but a partnership with NewmarketToday will allow the show to go on.
The Virtual Home Show kicks off tomorrow, Friday, May 29, and runs until June 12 at NewmarketToday.ca.
The virtual home show booths spotlight 42 local businesses that span a wide array of products and services, from spas and health services to landscaping, fitness, food, and home decor, and plenty more inbetween.
Various vendors will offer contests, door-crashers, specials, no-obligation quotes, free consultations and more, while virtual visitors can learn more about the company through its profile for a one-stop shopping experience.
Attending a home and lifestyle show in person may currently be banned during the COVID-19 pandemic, but consumers who are looking for products, services, planning renovations, and more, can attend online from the safety of their own homes.
“This virtual show is a way of dipping our toe in the water to get some insights into this avenue of profiling businesses and gives us an opportunity to highlight some of the exhibitors who missed their opportunity for the Spring Home & Lifestyle Show,” chamber president and CEO Tracy Walter said.
The chamber’s board and events staff have been exploring a number of innovative opportunities to showcase the community and its local businesses, Walter said.
“If there is one thing that COVID-19 has ignited, it is new ways to look at things and our creativity,” she said. “Our team is certainly looking at a number of ways to augment our traditional show and add on new components.”
While the current public health crisis that prohibits gatherings of more than five people is expected to add a level of complexity even when events and gatherings get the go-ahead, it has opened up “exciting new opportunities and the use of technology and innovation to bring a whole new level of experience to vendors and consumers”, the local business leader said.
The chamber is hopeful that at some point this year, it can offer its annual in-person home and lifestyle show which it intends to move forward with once given the OK by public health officials.
Check back here tomorrow to shop local, safely visit the Virtual Home Show, and browse the more than 40 local vendor booths.
