Virtual Parade, Home Show Generates Sales

Disaster Response
Published

Builders and HBAs across the country are transitioning in-person parade of homes and home shows into dynamic online showcases. Executive Officer Bill Rauer of the Building Industry Associates of Southwest Idaho (BCA) and the Frederick County Building Industry Association (FCBIA) team shared their insights on the process.

Virtual Parade Exceeds Expectations in Boise

A virtual parade of homes was not in the cards for BCA this year but pivoting to an online showcase was the only choice, said Rauer. The HBA marshaled the resources of its staff and a member volunteered an online platform to host the virtual tours. “Without their support, we would not have been able to pull it off,” said Rauer. He also credits the volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the event transition, “I was really impressed how people lined up to show support for the virtual parade of homes.”

BCA created a video featuring Board President Heather Hering to inform consumers about the new approach to the event: Enjoy the parade from the comfort of your own home. Additional event promotion included a parade of homes magazine distributed as a local newspaper insert, an interactive online flipbook and social media messages. The association also sponsored a segment on a local television station.

“Opening weekend almost broke the internet,” said Rauer. On the first Saturday of the virtual parade, BCA’s website nearly exceeded its capacity of 100,000 hits per minute for a brief period. Interest in new homes soared locally. Builders reported that houses were going under contract and home buyers asked how soon they can move-in. Requests flooded in for homes across every price range.

Rauer’s advice for builders and HBAs thinking about hosting a virtual parade this year, “Go for it.”

Virtual Home Show Garners Attention in Maryland

A few days shy of the FCBIA’s 45th Annual Home Show, in-person events in the state of Maryland were no longer permitted. FCBIA was determined to find a solution to help the more than 160 home show exhibitors develop leads in the absence of a live event. Moving the show online was a no-brainer for the association. FCBIA Board President Tracie Clabaugh said the association is always looking for ways to show member value and keep members engaged.

Without the help of an outside vendor and no budget for video production, FCBIA created twelve different videos using iMovie featuring exhibitors grouped by category. Sarah Harne, marketing & communications coordinator, and Donna Kraft, executive administrator and home show coordinator, created scripts for each exhibitor and used photos and previous home show footage for visuals. FCBIA developed a robust social media outreach strategy to attract home show viewers and reached out to partners, including the local chamber of commerce, to promote the videos.

FCBIA has seen a considerable increase in traffic to its website and social media channels as the virtual home show promotions continue. The herculean effort by the group paid off for the exhibitors and the association’s reputation said Harne. “We have become the go-to resource in our community.”

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Advocacy

Oct 22, 2025

NAHB Recommends Permitting Improvements to EPA and Corps

On Oct. 16, NAHB met with political leadership from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) to discuss the agencies’ regulatory priorities for 2026 and beyond.

Advocacy

Oct 21, 2025

Senate Panel Passes NAHB-Backed Forestry Bill

The Senate, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee today advanced the Fix Our Forest Act, NAHB-supported legislation that will contribute to better forest management practices, help strengthen the nation’s housing supply chain and promote affordable housing opportunities for all Americans.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Oct 20, 2025

Non-Conventional Financing for New Home Sales Loses Ground in 2024

Nationwide, the share of non-conventional financing for new home sales accounted for 31% of the market per NAHB analysis of the 2024 Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC) data. This is 1.7 percentage point lower than the 2023 share of 32.4%. As in previous years, conventional financing dominated the market at 69.3% of sales, higher than the 2023 share of 67.6%.

Economics

Oct 17, 2025

Better Growth, Larger Deficits: CBO Fiscal Outlook

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a key nonpartisan score keeper that measures the effects of policy changes by the Federal Government. With several policy changes since January of this year, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), stricter immigration, and higher tariffs, the CBO updated its economic projections through 2028.

Economics

Oct 16, 2025

Amid Market Challenges, Builder Expectations Rise in October

Even as builders continue to grapple with market and macroeconomic uncertainty, sentiment levels posted a solid gain in October as future sales expectations surpassed the 50-point breakeven mark for the first time since last January.