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The inaugural DIY CON ran Nov. 6-8 in Dallas, bringing HGTV personalities, DIY creators, makers and more than 75 vendors together for talks, demonstrations and hands-on workshops. Organizers said the event aimed to help attendees turn online inspiration into practical skills and confidence; attendance figures and plans for a second show were not provided.
The inaugural DIY CON brought HGTV personalities, online creators, makers and home-improvement vendors to Dallas from Nov. 6-8 for three days of talks, product demonstrations and hands-on workshops. The event aimed to help DIYers move from watching project advice online to learning techniques and testing products in person, according to event director Hector Morfin-Chong.
The program paired Main Stage conversations with workshops for beginners, intermediate DIYers and experienced makers. Speakers included HGTV personalities Drew Scott, Jonathan Scott, Ty Pennington, Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt, and Cole and Chelsea DeBoer. Workshop sessions covered deck-building fundamentals, live-edge charcuterie boards and pocket-hole techniques, among other activities.
The showfloor featured more than 75 vendors and manufacturers, who demonstrated products and offered show deals and discounts, according to the event report published by Hardware Retailing. The North American Hardware and Paint Association also brought products from its 2026 Retailers’ Choice Awards for attendees to see. The report did not provide total attendance or sales figures for the event.
Alongside classes and exhibits, the event offered spaces for meeting creators and makers, taking photos and making a DIY CON keepsake. A Backyard area included a beer garden and a kid-friendly gathering spot, while the Kids Zone offered hands-on activities and take-home items. The organizers presented the mix of learning and social activities as part of the event’s effort to build connections between consumers, creators and the home-improvement industry.
Turning DIY Advice Into Practice
DIY CON brought advice that attendees might otherwise encounter through videos or social media into a setting where they could ask questions, handle products and practice skills. That format may help consumers judge whether a project matches their abilities and budget before buying materials or starting work. The event also gave product makers a chance to demonstrate tools directly to potential customers.
Morfin-Chong said DIYers face an abundance of project information and must decide which sources to trust, what tools fit a job and whether a project is realistic. He said people want guidance suited to their homes, budgets and skill levels, as well as a better sense of when to do work themselves and when to call a professional. Those are the organizer’s stated goals; the source report does not include independent assessments of whether the event achieved them.
The event also had a retail angle. Sterling Cherry, CEO of Madison Lumber & Hardware in Ketchikan, Alaska, attended with store controller Caitlin Driscoll. Driscoll said about 60% of the store’s customers are professionals and contractors, and the pair hoped to find ideas for workshops and ways to attract more DIY customers. Their attendance illustrates how the show could connect consumer education with retailers looking to serve a broader customer base.
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A New Show for DIY Consumers
DIY CON was described as a brand-new event that brought together personalities from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, HGTV and the maker community. Lifestyle expert Kathryn Emery compared its cross-platform gathering to Comic-Con, while emphasizing the show’s friendly atmosphere and opportunities for meetups, live music and informal interaction.
The event’s central premise was that access to project ideas has changed. Morfin-Chong said finding a tutorial was more difficult five or 10 years ago, while consumers now face a crowded supply of advice and must decide which guidance is reliable. In response, the show placed creators and experts in direct contact with attendees through stage discussions, demonstrations and workshops.
One session featured Property Brothers hosts Jonathan and Drew Scott discussing how to approach DIY projects. Jonathan advised viewers to check whether online advice comes from qualified professionals. Drew said DIYers should acknowledge what they do not know and seek reliable information rather than pretend to have expertise. Their comments reflected a recurring theme at the event: inspiration needs to be matched with sound guidance.
“Today, the challenge is deciding which advice to trust, which tool is right, whether a project is realistic and how to get started.”
— DIY CON event director Hector Morfin-Chong
Attendance and Future Plans
The event report does not give attendance totals, financial results or a date and location for a future edition. It also does not provide a full account of exhibitor sales or measure whether attendees later completed projects using skills learned at the show. A quoted exhibitor, Rick Goren, said the event helped him make vendor and independent-retail connections and put his products in front of consumers, but the available report ends before giving a complete account of his sales during the three-day event.
It is also unclear whether organizers plan to repeat the show, how they will evaluate its results or whether its workshop and exhibitor mix will change. Claims about the event’s impact on consumer confidence and retail connections remain based on organizer and participant comments rather than reported outcome data.
The Show’s Next Steps
No follow-up event or next milestone was announced in the source report. The immediate next step for attendees and retailers is to apply the ideas and product knowledge gathered in Dallas, while vendors can follow up on contacts made at the show. For the event itself, a decision or announcement about another edition would clarify whether DIY CON will become a recurring industry gathering.
Any future assessment would be more complete with figures for attendance, exhibitor participation, sales activity and attendee feedback. Those details would help show whether the first show reached its intended audience and whether its hands-on format translated into lasting skills or stronger connections between consumers and independent hardware retailers.
Key Questions
When and where did DIY CON 2026 take place?
The inaugural event ran Nov. 6-8 in Dallas, according to the report from Hardware Retailing.
What could attendees do at the event?
Attendees could hear from HGTV personalities and creators, take part in hands-on workshops, watch product demonstrations and meet vendors and makers. The program included sessions on deck-building, live-edge boards and pocket-hole techniques.
How many vendors took part?
The showfloor featured more than 75 vendors and manufacturers, according to the event report. It did not provide a total for attendees.
Has another DIY CON been announced?
The source report did not announce a second edition or give a future date or location. Plans for another show remain unclear.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
