A brand new home show, District Habitat, is coming to Terrebonne. Presented by the Association of Construction and Housing Professionals of Quebec (APCHQ), Metropolitan Montreal Region, it targets residents of the North Shore of Montreal and seeks to fill a need, says Linda Marchand, General Manager of the organization. Interview.
Q. The Press. Other regional associations of the APCHQ have been organizing Expo Habitat fairs for a long time in Quebec, Saguenay, Saint-Georges (in Beauce) and Sherbrooke, to name a few. What motivated the launch of the District Habitat show?
A. Linda Marchand. The APCHQ owned the National Home Show many, many years ago. For reasons unknown to me, it was sold, and a clause stipulated that the APCHQ could not launch another show before x number of years. When I took office seven years ago, I could not believe that our association, which is a major player in the construction and renovation industry, was not present in a territory as large as that from Montreal, which goes from Sorel to near Vaudreuil, and from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to Sainte-Agathe and Saint-Jovite.
Q. What prompted you to take action?
A. We had a market study done, which revealed that people both on the North Shore and on the South Shore like to work with people near them, both for the purchase of a new home and for renovation and landscaping. We wanted them to have the chance to meet members of the industry who work in their region, while having access to completely free parking. This is a first edition in Terrebonne, because of the pandemic. It should have been the third.
Q. How does the District Habitat show stand out?
A. We are not in competition with the salons of Montreal. They have their place, they have their customers. The District Habitat show is 100% devoted to housing. There are no derivative products. It is smaller than those organized at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal and at the Olympic Stadium. Last fall, the first District Habitat show was held at Complexe Bell in Brossard. The clienteles of the North Shore and the South Shore are different. Exhibitors too. I remain convinced that people who come to the Expo Center in Terrebonne in the spring will find what they are looking for.
Q. Did you make any adjustments following your experience in Brossard?
A. The living room was then divided into 10 districts. Even for us, the logistics of fitting out were complicated. This time, we brought together exhibitors who go very well together, so as to have six districts [déco, design et ameublement ; développement durable ; maisons neuves ; professionnels dans le domaine de l’habitation ; réno-expert extérieur ; réno-expert intérieur]. If people want to change their doors and windows, for example, they will find them around the same corner. We made a commitment to the exhibitors that they would not be more than five or six with the same type of product. We want to have healthy competition and we want to have everything.
Q. One of the six districts is dedicated to sustainable development. Why ?
A. It is the future. We have a Sustainable Development Committee. For us, it is important to support entrepreneurs and builders on this path. People, too, need to understand what sustainable development is. They feel like it increases costs, but it’s not true. They need to have the chance to speak with people who work in both renovation and green construction. There will be a nice variety of exhibitors.
District Habitat will take place from March 24 to 26, at the Expo Center in Terrebonne.