MISSISSAUGA, ON - Bleu Venue Events announced the First Annual Outdoor Living Conference (www.outdoorlivingconference.com ) designed to support growth in the Canadian residential outdoor living market.

Sessions during the twoday, trade-only event for interior designers, interior decorators, and stagers will provide innovative and futuretrending product knowledge from a range of different domestic and international vendors.

Attendees will also benefit from CEU accredited seminars given by industry professionals. In association with S.O.F.A. (Source of Furniture + Accessories, www.visitsofa.com ) located at The International Centre in Toronto, Canada and for the first time ever in North America, the conference on February 3 and 4, will provide industry insight on outdoor kitchens, outdoor furniture & fabrics, lighting and landscaping trends and other related topics.

“Homeowners today are treating their outdoor space as an extension of their home and see it as an investment in their property”, said Deborah Lalande, president of Bleu Venue Events and owner of the Outdoor Living Conference. “In many cases, they are opting to renovate their existing homes and live there longer versus spending these same dollars on selling and moving costs. Regardless of the circumstances, we know there is tremendous opportunity in outdoor design.”

The Canadian home and garden market’s compound annual growth rate is set to grow by 4.9% from 2014 –2019 driving the market to a value of $8,728.0m (Marketline, 2015). According to the Vancouver Sun, “85% of millennials rate outdoor rooms as “very important” compared to 83% of genXers and 74% of baby boomers.’ (May 1, 2015). The conference will allow design professionals to better understand and to respond to growing interest in the Canadian outdoor living market by consumers.

Prospective vendors can leverage showcasing their products to conference attendees with a range of sponsorship packages available. In conjunction with the February event, will be the premier issue of the Outdoor Living Directory to be distributed to attendees at the conference. This unprecedented source book for design professionals will contain a broad range of wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers for the outdoor living market in Canada, as well as include sources from the U.S. who either currently do business in or are eager to grow distribution in Canada.

www.outdoorlivingconference.com
www.furniturebank.org
www.visitsofa.com