In-person events are back in bloom in Chatham-Kent. This Spring, the municipality opened the John D. Bradley Convention Centre doors for the 38th Annual Chatham-Kent Home & Garden Show, launching the first physical event since 2019.
“The value and power of in-person events have never been so evident than over the past two years. We are beyond excited to see B2B events back up and running, and to play a part in helping businesses and our community recover and grow,” says Katrina Scharuda, Sales and Marketing Manager with Compass Group Canada.
The event took place April 22-24 and welcomed thousands of people into the popular John D. Bradley Convention Centre. It featured over 125 of the region’s premier suppliers spread throughout the Centre’s 25,000 sq. ft. Expo Hall and 7,500 sq. ft. Ballroom. The show featured a mix of traditional, custom, and cutting-edge home products, as well as product and service demonstrations, expert advice, and other surprises.
The 38th Annual Chatham-Kent Home & Garden Show drew visitors from across the region and generated more leads for its exhibitors than in previous years.
“It was refreshing to see the sight of customers walk freely around the show floor feeling at ease and comfortable doing so,” Scharuda says. “We are thrilled and confident about the future of events after seeing that thousands showed up for this event and believe it will only get better and stronger as time passes.”
It’s been over two years since pandemic lockdowns and restrictions put a pause on in-person events within the region. Over that time, Chatham-Kent’s event and meetings community have worked to ensure safety is a priority for this and future shows.
“Although masks, social distancing, and capacity restrictions are no longer in place, we still practice and uphold a safe meeting space through our improved cleaning and safety standards,” says Scharuda.
Looking ahead to future events, Scharuda adds the plan is to follow its clients’ leads when it comes to decisions like layout, flow, and social distancing: “Ultimately, it is up to our clients how comfortable they feel and how they want to handle their event in terms of safety standards that used to be in place.”
Activity is ramping up in Chatham-Kent. Read why it pays to “Take a fresh look at Chatham-Kent” and discover this Ontario hotspot for yourself at www.VisitCK.ca.
