News & Info

Exciting Events Planned for 2007

Stacey Genzlinger
Director of Member Events

There are many events that happen at Olympia Master Builders (OMB) throughout the year. These events can be beneficial to your company in a number of ways. You can promote your products and services to the membership of OMB, and you can promote to the public. There's also the value of getting involved and building relationships with other members. Whichever benefit you choose to focus on, OMB is here to provide these opportunities for you. I'd like to share with you just a few of these major events that are coming up this year.

Auction
The Auction is happening on Saturday, May 5. For those of you who may be new to OMB, this is quite possibly one of the most fun events of the year.

The Auction is a night of socializing and shopping! Three silent auctions are open during the Preview Party, with each one closing at separate intervals. Then all guests are seated for dinner, and the live auction begins. You can find everything from spa products and massages, to a monthly Honeybucket rental! Many donors offer hosted day trips on their boats, or time at their vacation rental properties.

The committee always does an outstanding job coming up with a theme, and carrying that theme through the entire night.

As a major source of non-dues revenue for the Association, we need help from all OMB members to make this event a success. When a committee member calls on you for a donation, please say "yes". Be creative, the donation can be something related to your company, or simply purchased and donated in the name of your company. We simply need items to put an auction together. A financially successful auction helps in part to keep your dues down.

The Auction committee will begin to meet soon. Committee members help with procurement (that means asking OMB and community members to donate items), and also input with guiding the event, selecting the theme, and all other activities associated with making the event happen.

Tour of Homes
The seventh annual OMB Tour of Homes comes in July. This scattered-site event features both new and remodeled homes. Last year, there were 26 homes on the Tour. This is a great way for builders and remodelors to showcase their work to the public, and introduce new neighborhood developments in the area. Participants report that attendance for this event has grown over the years, and often produces excellent leads throughout the year.

Participants are required to submit certain information about the home(s) they enter, including floor plan, features, list price, square footage, and driving directions to the home. This information is compiled into a publication that is distributed throughout the community. The publication includes an overview map of all participating homes in the area, plus detailed directions to each home. The nine day event is free to the public.

The public is encouraged to vote on their favorite homes in different categories. In addition to the People's Choice Awards, the homes in the Tour are also judged by impartial industry experts from out of the area. The Judges' Awards are bestowed to winners that best match the criteria for certain categories. All awards are announced at the September General Membership Meeting.

BIG Home and Garden Show
This is the largest trade show of its kind in Thurston County, so you want to make sure your company is represented at this event. It will be held at Saint Martin's University in Lacey from Friday, September 7 thru Sunday, September 9. More than 170 vendors will be present to show off their products and services to the public. Attendance for the event averages 10,000 over the three days.

Registration forms have already gone out to vendors who participated last year, to allow them first right of refusal for their same space as in 2006. In March, registration will begin for all remaining booth spaces. OMB members will receive first priority mailing notice for this period.

There are many locations available for booth displays at the BIG Home and Garden Show: Main Pavilion Floor, Worthington Center, Mezzanine Booths, Mezzanine Tabletops, Parking Lot and Under the Big Top! Just as varied are the costs for these booths, depending on the location. Prices range from $150 (OMB member price/$200 non-member) for a Mezzanine Tabletop to $700 (OMB member price/$900 non-member) for an end-cap space on the Main Pavilion Floor.

An added attraction for consumers is the speaker and seminar schedules. NW Gardening expert, Ciscoe Morris broadcasts his Saturday morning KIRO AM radio program live from the show. Topics such as choosing between tile and granite for your project, composting and container gardening are also covered in the schedule. The committee builds the speaker schedule from participating vendors, drawing from a variety of talents.

Home Show Committee members help with recruiting new vendors, distributing signage and promotional materials, and also with developing the Speakers' Schedule. This committee usually begins to meet regularly in May.

I hope that one or more of these events has sparked your interest. If you have an interest in taking part - either as a participant or as a committee member - please feel free to contact me at the OMB office. I know it will be worthwhile for you. Getting involved in an organization is the best way to get value for your time and money. You know the old saying? "You can only get out of it, what you put into it". These are just a few of our events that offer a number of ways to get involved in OMB.