“Postponing a show is not something we take lightly,” says Dana McCurdy, General Manager of Bay Events. “Without any clarity from the government and a clear path out of the red traffic light setting, putting on an exhibition in early May is no longer viable.”
The Tauranga Home Show had been scheduled to run from the 6th through to the 8th of May with exhibits spread across both halls of Trustpower Arena Baypark as well as outdoor displays, food trucks and live cooking shows.
“An event of this scope requires huge forward investment,” says Dana McCurdy, General Manager of Bay Events. “There is a financial risk both on our part as organisers and for our exhibitors and suppliers. We can’t expect other businesses to take on the burden of that risk in good faith, especially as many of them are currently struggling with the impact of global supply chain issues , high employee absenteeism dur to isolation periods, a tight labor market and increases in transport costs.”
Dana anticipates that the postponement will allow time for the Covid-19 peak to pass and for the events industry to return to normal.
“We’ve had so much encouraging feedback from our exhibitors who want the show to go ahead,” says Dana. “It is unfortunate because the show runs like its own self-contained shopping mall – and malls remain open – but as an exhibition we’re in the same category as close-contact crowd events like concerts.”
2022 marks the 23rd annual Tauranga Home Show, and the exhibition continues to expand in size and attendee numbers every year. The event is organised by Bay Events Ltd, a local family-run business that was established in 1995 and have run over 60 exhibitions.
“We see first-hand the contribution our shows make to the local economy because we live here too,” says Dana. “We encourage everybody to continue to support local businesses, and we look forward to bringing them back to meet you face-to-face at our October exhibition.”
The new dates for the Tauranga Home Show are the 28th, 29th and 30th of October 2022 at Trustpower Arena Baypark.
Media Release 7 April 2022.