CE Pro April 2022 - 8

Industry Pulse
NEWS | ANALYSIS
KBIS, Builders' Show
Draw Big Crowds
The return of in-person Design and
Construction Week co-located events
hosted 70,000 attendees and 1,200
exhibitors in Orlando in February.
By Jason Knott
AS MARK TWAIN famously
quipped, " The rumors of my
death are greatly exaggerated. "
A similar exclamation
can be made about industry
trade shows apparently.
Following the staging of a
successful CES 2022, the
Kitchen & Bath Industry
Show (KBIS), owned by
the National Kitchen and
Bath Association, and the
National Association of
Home Builders International
Builders' Show (IBS) were
held February 8-10 as one of
the largest events to be held
since the pandemic.
The two events, which
have been co-located for
the past nine years, are
called Design and Construction
Week (DCW), and
this year's event in Orlando
featured 1,200 exhibitors,
occupying 750,000 net
square feet of exhibit space,
and drew 70,000 attendees,
representing all areas of the
new construction and residential
remodeling industries
in the Orange County
Convention Center.
The blended KBIS and
8 | CE Pro April 2022
International Builders' Show
(IBS) floor experience aims
to foster increased crossover
traffic as custom builders, remodelers
and project builders
discover new product
options with KBIS exhibitors
and vice versa.
" There is no question
our industry is alive and
well, " says Suzie Williford,
executive vice president,
industry relations and chief
strategy officer, NKBA.
" The numbers tell the story.
We were so pleased to
welcome 70,000 attendees,
including guests from
Germany, the U.K., Spain,
Italy and more. After two
long years, it was pure joy
to meet people in person
and get down to business
with a little fun thrown in.
Design and Construction
Week is a leading indicator
of industry strength and
clearly confirms the value of
in-person events. "
KBIS, owned by the NKBA
and produced by Emerald
(owners of CE Pro and
CEDIA Expo), is the largest
North American trade show
The West and South Halls of the Orange County Convention
Center featured 750,000 square feet of exhibit space.
for the kitchen and bath
industry. KBIS 2022 featured
375 exhibitors - 85
of which were first-timers.
The ratio of attendees to
exhibitors was up 9% over
2020, the last and one of
the strongest in-person
KBIS events pre-pandemic.
Of the KBIS attendees, 48%
were new to the show.
" There is no question
DCW surpassed all of our
expectations, " says Jason
McGraw, group vice president
and show director for
KBIS. " We knew we had put
everything in place to create
a safe event. We knew
the exhibitors committed
to the show would bring
their 'A' game.
" We expected a strong
showing of attendees. But
when we beat our attendance
plan, we knew we had
a winner. The business done
at this show will drive the
industry for the balance of
2022 and beyond. And we
are poised for a super 2023
event with 83% of exhibit
space already sold. "
The event featured 40+
conference panels and
sessions on various stages at
KBIS. NKBA also held more
than 70 educational sessions.
DCW moves to Las Vegas
for next year's event, which
it was announced will also
be co-located with the National
Hardware Show.
Some of the overarching
trends at KBIS included hygienic
options for the unexpected,
like dishwashers and
faucets that operate with a
mere gesture - and bidets
were everywhere. Wellness
was prevalent in things like
air quality, anti-microbial
surfaces and more options
for senior generations.
Several brands are taking
sustainability seriously and
offer options to cut down
on water and energy waste.
Technology - even if not
fully integrated - included
quieter range hoods and
garbage disposals, water and
lighting control that makes
the bathroom a spa-like
retreat and appliances that
are using AI to create usage
patterns for things like cooking
and clothes drying.
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CE Pro April 2022

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