T he third annual New England Condo Expo will showcase over 120 exhibitors from all over New England when the day-long event returns to the Seaport World Trade Center at 200 Seaport Boulevard in Boston on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

Admission is free for the entire day — including a full slate of educational seminars and one-on-one professional advice. Trade show hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Reserve Fund Raffle

For the second consecutive year, the Condo Expo, which is sponsored by New England Condominium magazine, will feature a $2,500 board member raffle, with the prize money going to the winning condominium’s reserve fund. The raffle is free for board members who attend the Expo.

Last year’s Expo raffle winner — John Cheney, vice president of the board at Woodland Place Condo Association — recently accepted a $2,500 check on behalf of his Rockland, Massachusetts community.

Cheney said his board had voted to split the money between a local food charity and a spring planting project in this 100-unit townhouse complex managed by Cellucci Management in Quincy. Five hundred dollars will go to the Rockland Food Pantry, which is “absolutely delighted” to receive the funds, said Cheney.

The remaining $2,000 dollars will go toward a major spring planting effort that will “make this garden complex really look fabulous,” said Cheney. “The primary focus [of the planting] is going to be in the front entrance because we have completely renovated our front entrance with a brand-new fence, and the fence needs some planting in front of it,” he said.

The rest of the plantings will take place in islands situated in the middle of each of the condo’s six courts, he said. “Since we made the announcement, I already have wish lists from various courts as to what they would like to have done,” said Cheney with a chuckle.

To get the most value from the planting project, Cheney said the money will be used to purchase the plants, which will be put in by energetic volunteers at the condo. By working together on the gardening project, money is saved and community spirit is built, he said. “But it [the planting] does more than help property values. What it does is it gets people recognizing the fact that we live in a community, and neighbors get out of their houses and dig in the dirt. I find that the more cooperation we get from the residents here, the better off we all are.”

Cheney received the check at an event called Exhibitor ROI Boot Camp, a recent day-long workshop sponsored by New England Condominium focused on helping vendors maximize their participation in the 2011 New England Condo Expo. The exhibitor training session was taught by Jefferson Davis, owner of the trade show consulting firm Competitive Edge. During the day, Davis walked vendors through the best ways to improve their return on investment in the show.

The Exhibitor ROI Boot Camp is only one of many resources — many of them free — available to vendors for the 2011 Expo. For more information about the trade show, visit www.ne-expo.com or call 508-753-4630.

Networking and Free Information

The New England Condo Expo is the premier real estate trade show in the region featuring exhibitors from every sector of the condo and HOA industry — including attorneys, property managers, financial advisors, interior and exterior maintenance contractors, vendors, and professional organizations.

For more than two decades, Yale Robbins, Inc., New England Condominium’s parent company, has been hosting successful trade shows for the co-op and condo industry in both New York and New Jersey.

Anyone involved with the administration of a building or homeowners association knows that good information and clear communication are crucial to a community not just surviving, but thriving, especially in today’s challenging economic times.

Save the Date

The New England Condo Expo is truly a unique event—so mark your calendars and be sure to visit us at the Seaport World Trade Center on May 24, 2011. For more information on who is exhibiting at the show, to sign up as an exhibitor, or to register for this one-of-a-kind event, please visit www.ne-expo.com.