The Home Show is here to stay, judging by the response to Saturday's second show at Number One Shed in Hamilton.

Already Susan Thompson, Sales Manager of Caldwell Banker, who put on the event, says that additional space will be needed to accommodate more booths and bigger crowds in years to come.

There were some 39 booths, up from 34 last year, as attorneys, bankers, insurance agents, architects, interior designers, kitchen contractors, plumbing and air-conditioning specialists, door and window dealers, home appliance suppliers and flooring installers, security specialists and others made information available to those who are either in the process of buying a house, renovating or just looking at decorating ideas.

"You get the landlords, current home owners, people looking to buy a home. even people who are renting who want to be able to find home appliances or fire safety," said Mrs. Thompson who came up with the idea for such a show a few years ago.

The response to the first two shows tells her and her colleagues at Caldwell Banker that the show is fast catching on and becoming quite popular. Mrs. Thompson estimates between 1,800 and 2,000 people attended the show during the opening hours of 9 to 4, compared to about 1,500 the first year.

"From the feedback we've had from some of the participants - some were there last year and some of them were new - everyone seemed to believe the booths were much more professional, much more organised and better put together," said Mrs. Thompson.

"They also felt there was a better flow this year and with more attendees coming to the show than last year. The comments we got from the actual attendees, they were all just thrilled about it and look forward to next year and would like us to continue to grow it.

"The biggest problem we have is finding a venue that is large enough. What I tried to do this year is get both downstairs and upstairs of Number One Shed which would be the ideal situation at this point because unfortunately Bermuda does not have an actual arena that is set up strictly for trade shows."

She added: "Because of the location, Number One Shed is actually ideal and if we were able to secure downstairs and upstairs we could accommodate all the participants who are interested because I have a list of ten to 15 other people who wanted to participate but we didn't have enough room.

"I'm hoping to talk to the Corporation of Hamilton and explain to them that it is bringing business downtown, not taking business away from downtown, that it is something that is positive and something that people look forward to.

"It's educational and there are a lot of free prizes and giveaways, but the biggest thing is the information that people can gather from talking one-on-one with exhibitors who they normally wouldn't be in front of such as the attorneys, architects and some of the businessmen who do speciality type things."

Those attending the show were handed bags and gifts by Caldwell Banker representatives, which came in handy for carrying all the brochures handed out at the various booths. Even a heavy afternoon shower did not deter those who attended.

"We're looking to build - or buy and renovate - so we were interested in things like flooring and cabinetry, landscaping and architecture services," said one husband. "I'm glad we came, there was definitely something there for everybody and I think it is a good idea to have a show like this."

That was Mrs. Thompson's vision a few years ago when she came up with the idea. Despite the high price of homes, the real estate market is one that cannot be ignored as locals take great pride in their homes.

"There is definitely a need for it, people were very excited about last year and were even more pumped up this year, saying `count me in next year's'," said Mrs. Thompson.

"We had talked about it last year and we have a form going around to see if people want to do a two-day event versus a one-day event. We're throwing the idea around, but it does take a lot to put this together.

"This is something I hatched about five years ago but I wasn't in a position to undertake something of this magnitude until last year with the staff in mind. It does take several people to put it together, about two months of planning from our end."

After the 4 p.m. closing of the show, exhibitors dismantled everything in a couple of hours, in about a fifth of the time it took to set it all up. "It takes a lot of time to set up and that's why we're thinking about a two-day show," said Mrs. Thompson.

"We want to be able to expose as many people as possible. The other thing we would like to do is have classroom breakout sessions of about a half hour where somebody could go in and get free legal advice on buying or selling a home or maybe free advice on fire protection.

"But we have to have the physical space to do that and right now we don't."

The organisers are planning to continue to host the event in the fall. "We're hoping to to have it the end of October or beginning of November every year when it gets a little cooler and there aren't many things going on," said Mrs. Thompson.

""We got some forms back and people rated the show anywhere from eight to ten of ten. `Great forum, we need more of this', these were the types of comments we got. "As long as people are interested in this we will continue putting this on as a community event and try to get more people participating. The actual exhibitors were absolutely fabulous and we couldn't do it without them.

"They took it upon themselves to put together very professional booths and came out with lots of enthusiasm, lots of energy and lots of knowledge to share with people. We gave out about $10,000 worth of prizes in the end."

Some of the prizes included a digital camera, security system, under the sink ultraviolet water filtration system, ceiling fan, a custom built 30-inch painted vanity, $500 in travel vouchers, a Faux painting kit, a set of ornamental pots, a wireless monitor security system and a Sterling gas BBQ.