Will Johnston: Tauranga Home Show - not what you'd expect

Out & About at the 2014 Tauranga Home Show, Josh, 4 and Abby, 6 Miller

The Home Show was on again, for the 15th time, last weekend. I'm a 30-year-old guy, I'm renting, I have no kids and a rabbit. What do I want with a home show?!

Initially, I thought nothing. Isn't it the bastion of the hen-pecked husband getting dragged along to look at carpet samples and buy a new heat pump for his mother-in law's new retirement villa?!

I imagined hollow-eyed sleep deprived zombie dads following a slightly aggressive mum who's going to get that bargain on some blinds she'd heard about on the radio, oh, and two stick-mixers for the price of one, as a 'bonus'. Don't even get me started on the range of peelers or frying pan demos!

How wrong I was. I was there on Friday as it was wrapping up its first day. At the end of the first day all the exhibitors get together in the foyer of the ASB Arena, have a feed and a few drinks on the organiser. It was such a positive atmosphere, I couldn't believe it! Here was I thinking it was all just greasy salespeople pushing something on you that will break when you get home. They're actually just a bunch of people who seem to all believe in their products, they're out to have some fun and work in a positive environment.

None of them would be drawn on whether they were going to kick on and turn up to sell spa pools and roofing solutions with a blinding hangover tomorrow. Though I bet there were a couple of Home Show virgins who did get carried away and have a significant down-turn in sales the next day as a result.

What I saw on the Saturday was people shopping whilst in a good mood! How often does that happen?! Ask any retailer anywhere and they'll tell you 'not often', then regale you with stories of the snobby old lady shopper, or the angry old man who complains but can't hear your response because he refuses to wear his hearing aid! (My mother just got told she needs hearing aids, by the way. Dad's rapt.)

Anyway, the Home Show was full of people who wanted to be there, regardless of what they were after and even if it was nothing, they seemed to be stoked to be part of the buzz.

When you work in radio for a while you get used to going to the odd event where people are unwilling to participate in the game you're playing for a prize. Sometimes it's like you're playing touch rugby with them; you approach them to ask them if they want to play a game, they hold up their hands and side-stride their way around you with a look on their face like they've seen you naked, on the toilet.

Not at the Home Show! We had people coming up to us asking to participate in the Home Show Throw (yup that's right, we had mini-basketballs thrown at mini hoops). Simple, effective, a great way to give your partner a bit of jib about throwing like a nana. I guess I was just really excited to see that people in the Bay support these big events and take them with a positive attitude. Well
done us.

Beats the atmosphere of the Auckland Home Show, hands down. Which might be the best bit!

(Will Johnston is host of The Hits 95FM Day Show. Live and local from 9 am till 3 pm, every weekday in the Bay of Plenty.)