Following a successful virtual summer event where over 70 per cent of visitors reported having an excellent or good online experience that they considered better value for time and money than attending a live show, the Virtual Homebuilding & Renovating Autumn Show, sponsored for the first time by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), returns from 26-27 September to provide expert advice and inspiring content for committed and potential home projects.

A key highlight of this year’s show is the RIBA’s ‘Happiness Through Design’ panel event which explores the changes homeowners would like to make to their way of living in the aftermath of lockdown and how and why a well-designed home that suits people’s needs will increase their health and happiness. The panel is hosted by property expert and presenter Michael Holmes and features experts Ben Channon Head of Wellbeing at Assael Architecture and Dr Eleanor Ratcliffe Lecturer in Environmental Psychology at University of Surrey.

Consumers are also encouraged to access specialised areas such as the Ask the Architect chat room, where RIBA-accredited architects will answer people’s project-related queries. For an hour each, experts including Carle Scott Gerber from Life U Design; Lisa Raynes from Pride Road; Stephan Silver from Xobo Architecture; Jillian Mitchell from Lomas and Mitchell Architects, and more, will be sharing their breadth of experience in a free consultation.

This season’s event will entice visitors further with new content, with the most popular masterclasses on kitchens and bathrooms from the previous virtual show being split into two sessions.                                                                                                                  

Other popular masterclass and seminar topics from the previous summer show will also make their return across three stages, including how to appoint and work with an architect, how to design and build a sustainable home, extension guides, project costs and choosing doors and windows.                                                                               

Across the two days, attendees will have the opportunity to discover the latest products and services from more than 80 exhibitors including the RIBA from the comfort of their own home. They will be able to navigate the virtual exhibition hall, tune into the seminars delivered by experts from Homebuilding & Renovating magazine, watch masterclasses curated by the exhibitors, take a front-row seat for relevant content and attend drop-in sessions with experts who can tackle their burning questions.

In addition, the Main Stage will feature useful tips from Jason Orme’s beginner’s guide to building a home, to David Hilton’s guide to creating a low-energy home. The Masterclass Theatre will offer in-depth demonstrations and masterclasses on a range of topics, including the Federation of Master Builders’ guide to choosing a contractor for any project. The Expert Advice Stage is where visitors can listen to architects, planners and self-builders discussing their top tips, including Potton’s Mark Stevenson who’ll be sharing advice on how to begin a plot search. At the Ask The Expert section, planning specialist Sally Tagg is among the experts who’ll be on hand to assist with guidance backed by the latest regulations in the planning field. All the suppliers and products, and even the live demos, can be discovered in the Exhibit Hall.

Full of interactive features, the event will give people the chance to request call backs and set up meetings with suppliers, download brochures, guides and information from individual exhibitors, watch sales videos from key suppliers and see their products and services in action.

Previous visitor feedback will help future visitors assess what’s in store for them:

‘Wonderful for armchair browsing. I thoroughly loved it.’

‘What I preferred about the virtual show is that you could see all the presentations either live or on demand, so you didn’t miss anything if you had a clash on the different stages.

‘The virtual show was perfect for us – easy to attend, the children could continue playing upstairs, we managed to see seminars that were happening simultaneously due to catch-up, and we were able to pause playback seminars/re-watch live shows.’

‘Love the idea of this format as better use of time, better for the environment and listened and gained far more info than we would being at the show.’

‘Absolutely first class. Easy to access and jump into anything you missed and much more informative as you could see and hear everything.’

‘I think it is the way forward. Well run, informative and without leaving the comfort of

your own home or expense of visiting physically.’

To register for free, visit this link. 

The Homebuilding & Renovating Show will return to Farnborough on 16-17 January 2021. Find out all dates for the 2021 shows here.