Trade shows
Not just for the pros.
I just returned from JLC Live, a residential construction trade show. My first time attending. I had a blast, and was absolutely overwhelmed by the education offerings there. So, I thought I’d engage in some trade show advocacy for those who aren’t actually in the trade.
Just to give you an idea, here are all of the scheduled events at just the 9:30am time slot on Friday.
This was three days of clinics, talks, and a showroom floor with 200+ companies and manufacturers who are putting on demos, answering questions, and showing off their latest products.
Tickets were only $250. I did have to book travel and accommodations, though that’s not necessarily a prerequisite for all attendees to these things. I say “only” because I’ve spent more than that on a single workshop, and here I attended dozens (and had the FOMO of missing out on dozens more).
I’m not a builder by trade. Not really. Certainly not in the way that most attendees seemed to be. So I was particularly taken aback by how much value was packed into the weekend for the passionate hobbyist, and how few of those seemed to be in attendance. New tools. Tips. Tricks.
I personally had countless a-ha moments where I learned that a product or tool or technique existed. Equally valuable was the chance to pose questions to eager-to-chat building scientists, engineers, and builders with multi-decade careers in both construction AND education.
For the type of person who is interested, there was an immense amount of interest.
There are options beyond the particular show I attended. JLC Live has occasionally put on a West Coast show. There’s the NAHB International Builders' Show. The National Hardware Show. The World of Concrete Expo, which has a surprising amount of appeal beyond concrete. Others I’m forgetting, I’m sure. And plenty of trade shows for every other industry that might spark curiosity—next year I’m planning to attend one of the major tree care shows, like Arborfest, Arbor Expo, or TCI Expo.
For every field and every niche, there exists a trade show. That I’m feeling torn between three different tree work shows is testament to that. But, finding these events isn’t straightforward. Most are not marketed toward consumers. And even asking those in the trades might not reap many rewards, as attendance within the field is always going to be pretty small.
Where I’ve had the best luck is looking to educators and training programs to see what shows they attend to put on demos. Or in reaching out to those in the field who have a social media presence and are trying to bridge that gap between their trade and the layman content consumer. Those folks have a strong incentive to keep their finger on the industry pulse, and to keep aware of the content farms that are convention floors, so you may try and slide into their DMs.
If you know of any shows worth attending, please drop me an email or mention it in the comments. See y’all at Arborfest 2025.