Navigating the Exhibit Hall at the AFHE Convention

I always consider my time invested at my home state’s annual homeschool conference as my “professional development” as a home educator. I take my job educating my children seriously, and I devour the content of the workshops and special events at the conference each year.

One of the greatest opportunities at this annual event is the Exhibit Hall. There I can research the latest curriculum, literature, learning games, and supplies. Talking to these exhibitors—many of whom are the authors of the curriculum—allows me to get hands-on instruction and in-person experiences with their products. This enables me to easily and quickly decide if they are a good fit for my family.

The vendors are very diverse. Some sell curriculum in full grade level sets or in individual subjects like Bob Jones University Press or Generations. Others specialize in a few subjects like Teaching Textbooks and Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). Along with the curriculum displays, there are service provider vendors representing extracurricular opportunities like Civil Air Patrol and various theatre groups. Others are selling quality literature, games, and educational resources such as Grace & Truth Books, Lamplighter Ministries, and Rod & Staff.

Being able to look through the curriculum and speak directly to the vendors saves me a lot of time and money that I could have wasted researching and ordering books and curriculum online that might or might not work with my teaching style or with my children’s learning styles. Visiting the booths also gives me the opportunity to get on the vendors mailing lists, so I can receive their catalogs and emails and continue researching curriculum choices from home.

The Exhibit Hall can feel daunting, so here is some advice for navigating it ahead of time. Start by going to the afhe.org/exhibit-hall web page well before you arrive at the convention center.

First, do some research into the vendors who will be present. Each vendor is listed in the directory on this web page. In each listing, you can click on the hyperlinked text that takes you directly to their website.

Second, make a list of the vendors you would like to visit. There is a map of the Exhibit Hall you can access by clicking on the image of the map, which will allow you to plot your course through the Exhibit Hall, visiting vendors, nonprofit organizations, Young Entrepreneurs, and other special features.

Third, set aside the time to thoroughly tour, shop, and purchase in the Exhibit Hall. It tends to be busiest on Saturday, so if you would really like to speak with the vendors about their products, I suggest setting aside time to do that on Friday, making your final purchases on Saturday. If you prefer a less crowded hall, visit while there are workshops going on. A number of exhibitors will be offering “AFHE Convention specials.” The overall schedule, including Exhibit Hall shopping hours, is found at afhe.org/essentials.

As a final reminder, exhibitors travel from all over the country to attend the AFHE Convention, and renting space for a booth and travel for a host team is costly. Please support these businesses by purchasing from them, as many are “mom and pop” entrepreneurial endeavors. They believe in homeschooling and are seeking to serve our unique community. If you see something in the Exhibit Hall that will enrich your homeschool, please purchase it there directly from the vendor.

I hope you have a wonderful time at the Arizona Home Education Convention getting equipped for your next year of homeschooling.

[A previous version of this article appeared first in the CHEC Homeschool Update magazine V2 May 2024 issue.}