The producers of a pair of Salt Lake home shows have signed a big- name personality in the home-improvement industry as their spokesman.

Ty Pennington, host of the TV series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," has inked a three-year deal with Marketplace Events, which produces the Deseret News Fall Home Improvement Show in October and the Salt Lake Tribune Home & Garden Show in March.

Pennington will consult and provide content for the shows and on the Web and will appear in the company's advertising campaigns.

"We've got some exciting things planned," Jon Greenband, Salt Lake show manager, said in a statement announcing the signing. "He has an infectious, larger-than-life personality, and you'll definitely see and feel his energy and his influence on the shows."

Marketplace Events LLC last week acquired the home-show division, including the two Salt Lake shows, from dmg world media. The acquisition included a portfolio of 38 home shows in 27 North American markets. The shows combine to attract about 14,000 exhibitors, as well as 1 million attendees and nearly 1 million Web visitors annually.

"This partnership makes a lot of sense for me," Pennington said in a prepared statement. "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."

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