By: Woodlands Online Staff
| Published 03/01/2022
THE WOODLANDS, TX â This weekend, homeowners (and wanna be homeowners) all over The Woodlands and surrounding areas can enjoy an immense, immersive, and important show thatâs designed to showcase all you can do for homes and properties. Texwood Shows presents the Montgomery County Home & Outdoor Living Show, taking place at the Lone Star Convention & Expo Center on Saturday and Sunday, March 5 and 6. Saturday hours are 9 am to 6 pm and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. The center is located at 9055 Airport Road in Conroe.
Popular show will run this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, at the Lone Star Convention & Expo Center
Woodlands Online managed to get an interview with Tony Wood, president and founder of Texwood Shows, where we were able to learn more about the show.
What are the origins of the Montgomery County Home & Outdoor Living Show?
I started it in 2003. Iâd been in business already for many years. One day, I heard about The Woodlands Waterway Marriott and its convention hall. I went by there and they said if I wanted to do a show there I could do it. I weighed the possibilities and decided to do this on my own, so I did. Spring of 2003 was when we held the first event at that Marriott, and we had more than 100 vendors there. Every year from thereafter, there was growth, and we added space in the lobby later, then eventually added installations outside. Each year we enjoyed big growth.
Why did you move from the original venue to Lone Star?
We were at the Marriott until 2018, but that growth we enjoyed went both ways. It became increasingly more difficult to secure a date from the hotel due to its increasing popularity. Additionally, as we are a local event, many of our attendees didnât see the need to book rooms at the hotel. Also, I noticed that people who typically stayed within the boundaries of The Woodlands were now moving into other areas of Montgomery County, so I made the decision to incorporate that into the theme of the show and move to the Lone Star Convention Center. We did that in 2019.
Was there any culture shock that went with the move?
A little bit. But overwhelmingly itâs a benefit to have easier parking in more spaces, and being a true Montgomery County event. We have upped our vendor count to well over a hundred.
What is the benefit of coming out to a show like this one instead of just hitting the business directory?
What we do is provide a healthy atmosphere where vendors can talk to prospective customers in person, and vice versa. It goes both ways; the homeowner gets one-on-one-access to any number of vendors to cover every conceivable aspect of home and outdoor living. If I were a potential customer spending money, itâs good to have that face-to-face and have a read on each other.
Also, from a business standpoint, a show like this is vastly more effective than a magazine ad due to the direct approach between human beings. Finding the right custom builders, experts, and home designers is key in successful home and outdoor improvement. Iâve noticed a plethora of new home improvement franchises â and Iâve noticed that most of them start off moving into Houston, but then coming out here to Montgomery County when they see the business climate here. Window cleaners, painters, junk luggers, installers of insulation, pools, and security, concrete repairmen, AC/heating repairmen, garage organizers⦠all of them will be at the show. This is their arena, and they come from all over corporate America, bringing their business savvy with them.
Wood also points out that the show is a perfect event for those looking to sell their homes, as well. âWhat do I do to get my house ready to sell? How is my money best efficiently used to make the sell?â
Woodlands Online crews will be at the show on Saturday for live interviews and updates. To purchase tickets to the event, visit this link.