The first weekend of February brought paint dealers and their families to sunny Orlando, where Lancaster hosted its 2024 Florida Buying Market.
This year’s event took place Feb. 2-3 at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, combining educational opportunities, product research and entertainment for the independent paint channel.
Retailers attended an educational seminar hosted by NHPA.
Kicking off the weekend, before the market floor opened, retailers were invited to learn about merchandising and inventory management best practices from the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA). Scott Wright, executive director of advanced retail education programs for NHPA, hosted a seminar and engaged attendees in a discussion of how to maximize the performance of common merchandising strategies and ensure accurate inventory.
Once on the market floor, retailers didn’t wait to discover deals and find new ways to differentiate their businesses.
Product research brought retailers to the market floor for two strong days at the 2024 Lancaster Florida Buying Show.
A common refrain from retailers was that they were at the market doing product research, with many attendees taking the first day of the market to explore and then make strategic purchasing decisions on Day 2.
Walker Tanner, owner of Tanner Paint, which has been in operation for almost 90 years and opened a second location in Tampa, Florida, in 2022, says he appreciates the market being hosted close to home. He was able to bring his family to enjoy the event-filled weekend, while also focusing on finding great deals on products.
“I’m here looking for new products that could help painting contractors, great buys that will help our customers save,” he says. “Here at Lancaster, everyone is great. The people here are really nice.”
Company president Geff Lynch says the Lancaster team and retailers were ready to get back to live markets. The company returned to an in-person market for the 2023 Florida Buying Show, and the response was strong. Lynch is confident this year’s event will reflect the same.
Company president Geff Lynch (right) says retailers enjoy the opportunity to connect at buying markets.
“People were ready to get back, and we’ve got great deals to help them here at this year’s show,” he says.
Deals and Drawings
One of the most highly anticipated parts of the weekend happened just after the floor closed on
Day 2. Lynch—with some assistance from Tanner’s children—drew raffle tickets from eight 5-
gallon buckets, each featuring the opportunity to win high-value prizes. Retailers took home
prizes including a four-passenger side-by-side, zero-turn mower, a pair of diamond earrings, a
$4,000 Marriott gift card and more.
Some retailers approached the giveaways with an all-in approach, putting their tickets into just one bucket, while others spread their chances to win across several buckets.
After the final prizes were drawn, the fun wasn’t over. The weekend concluded with an exclusive dinner event at SeaWorld for Lancaster attendees. Retailers and their families, vendors and Lancaster staff took advantage of the warm evening air to explore the park and get exclusive access to the park’s newest attraction, Ice Breaker roller coaster.
“We always love the opportunity to be in Orlando for our February show and look forward to seeing the people in our industry come together in one place,” says Lancaster director of marketing, Mike Dube. “Not to mention it’s fun to see the months of work prior to the show come to fruition. We appreciate each and every one of our customers and suppliers who took the time to join us at the Renaissance, and we look forward to hosting you again next year at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.”
