HPBExpo: HOT SHOW IN HOT

A Monthly Publication Of The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association
Volume 14, Number 4
HPBExpo: HOT SHOW IN HOT-LANTA!
By Deidra Darsa
A
An unexpected cold wind
bl ew through Atlanta in late
February.
While the general populace suffered the
chill, 11,301 attendees to the HPBExpo
warmed up to hot products indoors and
out. It was another exciting year for
hearth, patio and barbecue manufacturers and retailers as they came together
in a 211,100 square foot sea of sizzling
grills, crackling fireplaces and classic
outdoor furnishings. In this highest-ever
show floor footprint, a record 2,111
HPB Education Foundation booth.
booths exhibited their innovative wares
to a record 2,141 buying entities. And,
on the eve of the final day, a challenge was met. In his opening remarks,
HPBA President, Jack Goldman, called
the historic highs a “testament to the
industry.”
HPBA Chairman, Steve Magnotti,
agreed, “This has been a good year for
HPBA,” he said, noting HPBA m e mbership retention was the highest yet
at 85 percent. To those in attendance,
he said, “I encourage you to stop by
the HPBA Member Services booth and
learn about the member benefits.”
Just before opening the show, Magcontinued on pg. 80
Chairman’s
Dennis Smith, Chairman, Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association
MESSAGE
Reflect, Distinguish, Excel, Prosper
W
ith HPBExpo behind us, it’s
time to reflect on what products we saw and what education sessions we attended and take that new
found knowledge to distinguish ourselves apart from the competition.
This year, as always, HPBExpo
provided an opportunity for dealers
to meet manufacturers, discuss their
product lines and to catch-up on the
latest trends in the hearth home heating and outdoor living lifestyles. Not
only are you considered to be the
expert who understands the mechanics of our industries’ products, you
have just seen the direction that these
products are going in material design
and architectural style, and how they
fit into a homeowners’ lifestyle.
With this experience, HPBExpo’s
continuing education sessions and
the HPBA Web site where you can
find a fuel calculator, downloadable
fact sheets, consumer fuel chart and
more, you have the tools to position yourself as the expert “go-to”
dealer in your area. And, NFI certification is a critical component of
that knowledge.
For those of you in the barbecue
business, prepare now to take advantage of the May is National Barbecue Month (NBM) campaign and
hang banners, send out mailers and
hold an open house that includes
grilling demonstrations. For more
ideas, download the NBM Retailer
Tool Kit and start to plan your spring
grilling extravaganza.
Yes, it’s time to take a serious
lo ok at y our busin ess and the
resources to help you grow it. Spring
is here, and so are the resources to
make it a prosperous season.
Each month I will encourage you
to communicate with me and let me
know what you’re thinking. Speaking up is your responsibility; putting
your membership dollars to good use
is our responsibility. Together, I am
confident we can make the industry
better for all of our members. Contact me at 888-220-4333 or
dgs@firegearusa.com.
H P BA JOURNAL - APRIL 2008
79
(“HPBExpo: …” continued from page 79)
(L. to R.) Steve Magnotti with HPBExpo
Chairman Tom Wenke.
notti introduced 2008 HPBA Chairman
Dennis Smith of firegear, who announced
his “Drive for 25” membership campaign. “That means 2,500 retailers,” he
said. “They are the driving force of our
industry. Our goal is to have 2,500 retail
members for 2009.”
After an introduction of HPBA Vice
Chairman Steve Hall of Fireside Distributors, it was time for Magnotti and
HPBExpo Chairman Tom Wenke of
Weber-Stephen to cut the ribbon to the
indoor hall where 1,284 exhibiting booths
marked the beginning of the Great
Indoor-Outdoor Adventure. Outside, the
adventure continued, as attendees
shopped the 827 smokin’ booths of grills,
griddles and grand hearth products.
There, charcoal grills were cooking with 100% natural charcoal provided by Nature’s Grilling Products.
Not only did this first-time exhibitor
donate charcoal to the show, CEO
Brad Nattrass says they’ll plant one
million trees in 2008 with partner,
Trees For The Future. “We are committed to delivering a sustainable product,” he said.
Many grills were manned b y
celebrity chefs including King of the
Q, Ted Reader, for Napoleon Grills
and Big Green Egg chef Ray Lampe,
now the executive chef for rocker
Justin Timberlake’s Southern Hospitality restaurant, both grilling up goodies for all to try.
For those looking for warmth, fireplace manufacturers brought on the
80 APRIL 2008 HPBA JOURNAL
heat with the latest innovations including Vesta winners Hearth & Home
Technologies for Heat & Glo’s gas
fireplace, the LUX 60, Jøtul North
America’s gas stove, the Jøtul GF 370,
and Wood Fireplaces, Best-In Show Hearth and Vesta Challenge winner
ICC/RSF’s Renaissance Rumford 1000.
“The Renaissance Rumsford was
a very challenging and fun project for
us,” said Ray Bonar, vice president
of the team effort that brought home
three awards. “It is very rewarding to
be the first guys to win the Vesta
Challenge for a low-emission woodburning fireplace.” (For a complete
l i s t o f Ve s t a w i n n e r s , g o t o
www.hearthandhome.com.)
For the outdoor grilling experience, Vesta judges found the Fuego
02 by Fuego North America, a firsttime exhibitor, tops in the gas barbecue category, and crowned it Best-In
Show - Outdoor Room Products.
Nearly 1,000 education passports purchased.
“This has just been wonderful,”
said Sarah Kramer, director of marketing and business development. “The
industry has welcomed us with open
arms. Overall, the show has been
excellent.”
In spite of the unsettled weather
and a slow housing market, 2008 was
another successful year for HPBExpo.
“It’s going great,” said Fred Doob
of Pro-Iroda, makers of the O-grill
and its new accessory line that includes
a carrying bag, tool box and detach-
Indoor exhibitors in the GWCC.
able battery-powered light for nighttime grilling.
Dealers looking for something different, found a “thing-a-ma-bob” 6in-1, multi-functional grilling system
at Alfinity USA, Inc. “If we generate
a little business from the people coming by, we’ll be doing well,” said Joe
Burch, project manager.
And, our old friend, Harman Stove
Company, was back again. “This has
been a very successful show,” said
Charlie Page, northeastern representative. “The dealers’ reception to our
new products has been wonderful.
HPBExpo really hit the mark!”
The HPBA Journal is intended to provide
in-depth info rm ation to the hearth and
outdoor products industry. S t atements of
fact and opinion are the responsibility of
the authors alone and do not necessarily re flect the opinions of the officers,
board, staff or members of the Hearth,
Patio & Barbecue Association.
C o py right ©2008 by the Hearth, Patio
& Barbecue A s s o c i at i o n . All ri g h t s
reserved. R e p roduction in whole or
in part without written permission of
the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue A s s ociation is prohibited. Direct requests
for permission to use material published in the H P BA Journal to the Dire ctor of Commu n i c ations, H P BA , 1901
N. Moore St., Suite 600, Arlington, VA
22209, (703)522-0086 or email: h p b am a i l @ h p b a . o rg.