CHICAGO — This March, more than 10,000 registered builders, remodelers, contractors, tradespeople, and other professionals came to Providence, Rhode Island, for the 30th edition of JLC LIVE, long revered as the must-attend regional trade show for residential construction.
As Show Director Sue Pino explained, the milestone anniversary of the three-day show, with household names including Andersen Window & Door, Owens Corning, Weyerhaeuser, and General Electric among the 260-plus exhibiting manufacturers, was a homecoming in every way.
“Anticipation for JLC LIVE is always high, but the energy at our 30th was truly special,” said Pino, who joined JLC LIVE in 2008 as an Account Executive. “We are a community that thrives on connecting, learning and growing together. Our many long-time attendees and exhibitors share a strong emotional bond with the show that brings them back year after year.”
The show arose from the Journal of Light Construction (JLC), a New England-based trade publication for residential and light building construction and remodeling techniques launched in 1986. The magazine was originally owned by Texas-based Hanley Wood, a multimedia company with a portfolio of construction industry publications and trade shows.
Referenced in JLC’s June 1995 issue, Hanley Wood launched the New England flagship of its “JLC-LIVE” brand in February of that year. “More than 800 builders and remodelers from across the country braved last February’s weather to attend JLC’s first Construction Business & Technology Conference in Cambridge, Mass,” stated the article. “The attendees heard some 50 JLC contributors share a wealth of hands-on information on a wide range of topics.”
That last sentence nutshells the essence of JLC LIVE’s 30-year popularity and success. Like a chalk line, the industry relies on JLC LIVE for true real-world training and education.
“Through live and interactive on-floor clinics, demonstrations, workshops, and classroom-style conference sessions taught by veteran builders and contactors, attendees take home valuable lessons that they can apply immediately to advancing their business,” said Pino. “Our core group of 25-plus seasoned professionals are up to the minute on skills and techniques, products, solutions, building codes, and more that they break down for their peers in useful and actionable ways.”
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That strong familial spirit kept the JLC LIVE community intact through the 2008 recession. In 2014, Informa Markets purchased Hanley Wood’s exhibitions business, JLC LIVE and World of Concrete notably included, but not the publications. Now run by Zonda Media, which continues to partner with the show, JLC remains a leading resource for the industry.
After resiliently weathering supply chain disruptions and other challenges during COVID-19, JLC LIVE came back stronger than ever.
“More than most shows, in fact,” said Pino. “And thanks to social media, our community has continued to grow nationally over the past five years. Along with our New England base, we now draw from California and the Pacific Northwest, plus Utah, Texas, North Carolina, and other markets. We had to expand our hotel block at the last minute this year to accommodate the rooms.”
The love extends to Providence, which has hosted virtually every JLC LIVE show in the past three decades.
“Like JLC LIVE, Providence is a community that thrives on connections,” Pino continued. “As a compact city with big city amenities, everything is right there, from hotels and restaurants to meeting venues and local experiences. The convenience and accessibility are perfect for our purposes, and Providence demonstrates its commitment to our success through every engagement and execution related to the show.”
Based at the Rhode Island Convention Center and connected Omni Providence Hotel with room blocks at the nearby Renaissance Providence Downtown hotel and other properties, JLC LIVE returns to Providence in March 2026 with even higher needs and expectations.
“With a shrinking labor pool, we are more focused than ever on bridging that gap by inspiring and training the next generation of builders and contractors,” Pino said. “Every year, we bring in students from more than 15 schools, including trade programs, high schools and universities, and introduce them to the value of skilled trades and the range of different work and career opportunities in the industry.”
As developable land shrinks in New England, remodeling, rebuilding, and adaptive reuse are leading trends in residential construction that JLC LIVE is looking to embrace going forward. “That goes with our perennial focus on delivering timely and relevant education for our audience,” Pino said.
Maintaining the show’s high standards is another priority. “Our attendee and exhibitor Net Promoter Scores are off the charts, both in the top five percent for the industry,” continued Pino. “Sixty or higher is unusual. Last year, we scored 72 from exhibitors. That’s unheard of. While grateful for these numbers, we are never complacent. As the show gets more crowded, which of course is a dream problem to have, we look forward to finding creative ways to meet and exceed the expectations of our closely-knit JLC LIVE community.”
All photos are courtesy of Informa Markets.
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