"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" host Ty Pennington has signed a three-year deal to be the spokesman for the Jacksonville Home and Patio Show.

As the new spokesman for the Jacksonville shows and the company that produces them called Marketplace Events LLC, Pennington will consult and will provide content for the shows and on the Web. He also will appear in the company's advertising campaigns.

"This partnership makes a lot of sense for me," Pennington said. "People always ask me where they can buy the cool products they see on our show, and the truth is that the best place to find all the basics, plus all the hot new products -- all in one place -- is at the type of home shows Marketplace Events produces."

Pennington said he supports the shows because they bring together big brand manufacturers and service providers along with small, independently owned businesses, new companies trying to launch the next hot product, and local artisans and craftsmen.

"It's not for everyone but for people passionate about their home and for someone like me, who's a major home improvement junkie, it's an incredible high," he said.

http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2008/07/28/daily1.html

The deal came on the heels of an announcement by dmg world media that the home show division, which includes the two Jacksonville shows in the fall and spring, has been sold to Marketplace Events. That company is a subsidiary formed by Stephens Capital Partners LLC, an affiliate of Stephens Inc., which is a privately held investment bank in Little Rock, Ark.

Marketplace Events purchased the portfolio of North American home shows from dmg world media in its entirety and has retained the management team and the almost 100-person home show staff.

The company also announced the launch of a new business-to-business division, Marketplace Event Consultants that will provide custom consulting to its exhibitors and sponsors, including those in Jacksonville.

Marketplace Events produces 38 consumer home shows in 27 markets across North America that collectively attract 14,000 exhibitors and 1 million attendees.

Author:  bizjournals.com