A 20% increase in visitor numbers at The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show and The Home Improvement Show this year put 500 companies from the self-build, renovation and home improvement markets in front of 32,353 keen home improvers and serious self-builders, reinforcing the increasing demand for property advice and expertise in the marketplace.

For the first time, the two shows joined forces at the NEC, Birmingham from 27-30 March, to extend the range and choice of companies showcasing their offerings within the renovating, interior, eco and self build industries and to enhance the consumer experience.

The events also attracted 5% more exhibitors who engaged with consumers to discuss their latest products and new technologies, resulting in 15% of extended floor space. 75% of companies have subsequently rebooked stands at future Homebuilding and Renovating events.

This year, Centaur brought on board a new feature, the Energy Saving Home, which became the highlight exhibit at the shows. This offered consumers insight into the latest eco devices and Government schemes to help them save money and control their household energy consumption through sustainable living.

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In addition, The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show welcomed a new expert to the panel – Piers Taylor, award-winning RIBA architect and co-presenter of BBC2 series 'The House that £100k Built'. He shared his knowledge on the importance of investing time and money in a renovation and how to choose the right companies for materials and finding a designer and an architect for a project.

Nick Noble, Joint MD of Centaur Home Interest Media, says: "The shows' successful figures for the first exhibitions in 2014 shed light on the evolving consumer trends within the property market.

"There is a general feeling that the industry has started to pick up and this was highlighted by the increased number of exhibitors, their range of services and new features.

"Additional visitors this year contributed to the events' achievements and the majority of consumers were serious selfbuilders and home improvers who spent a considerable amount of time liaising with relevant businesses and making informed purchasing decisions."

The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show and The Home Improvement Show attracted exhibitors covering a wide range of sectors to cater for all interests.

From kitchens, bathrooms, home electronics, garden, interiors and flooring to design, finance, energy sustainability, restoration and legal issues, consumers were able to receive valuable guidance for every type of project.

Simon Orrells, Managing Director of Frame Wise Ltd, said: "Great to see the level of interest at The Homebuilding and Renovating Show over the last 4 days and how focused self builders are now on delivering the 'Fabric First Approach' and building energy efficient homes for themselves. This gives them fixed running costs which is great news for our range of 'Wise Wall Solution's Panel System's. Let's build with more Timber!"

The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show and The Home Improvement Show were held at the NEC from 27-30 March 2014. Next year's show runs at the NEC, Birmingham from 26-29 March and there are a further six events held throughout the country each year. For more information on the upcoming exhibitions, go to Home Buildings Show.