Kitchen & Bath Business - April 2019 - 8

April 2019

s h o w

d i r e c t o r ' s

n o t e

ALL THE MOVING PARTS THAT MAKE UP KBIS

have often thought that people not involved in
the "event business" don't really understand what
a trade show is. When I tell my friends that I work
on the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS),
most of them think I design kitchens and bathrooms. Trying to explain my job to my children
is even more of a stretch - my youngest daughter
thinks I sell bathtubs! Often along with the confusion they will ask, "Do you work on that same
show all year long?"
If any one of my friends or my daughter had attended the 2019 KBIS
event, I think all their questions and misunderstandings would simply have
turned to awe. Between the sheer vastness of the event and all the beautifully
designed products on display, KBIS is certainly a sight to behold. From the
amazing KBISNeXT Stage to the Voices from the Industry conference and
so many designers and HGTV personalities walking around the show, it is
almost sensory overload. I actually stopped in the aisle at one point just to
take it all in.

Clockwise from top left:
the #dmmtalks Lounge, the
Lamps Plus booth, Flo by
Moen presentation and the
Lightovation Lounge.

If you attended the show, you know that KBIS
is thriving; the energy in the halls was compelling.
There were four different halls; 600+ exhibitors;
and countess spinoff conversations in the Design
Milk X Modenus Talks Lounge, Lightovation
Lounge, Living in Place Pavilion and the KBIS
THINK area. We also had the Align Project by
Green Builder magazine and the New Modernist
Trail, which was sponsored by Kohler.
Our exhibitors really took it up a notch as well
with all their remarkable booth displays and the
new products they unveiled. If you attended the
show, hopefully you got a chance to see the Samsung booth, which won "Best Booth Overall."
And the newly designed (and enormous) GE
Appliances, a Haier company, booth won "Best
Large Booth."
Our brand new area, Salon by KBIS, was under
the tent next to the South Hall. Upon entering the
Salon, you were welcomed into a very different
atmosphere than the other exhibit halls. Chandeliers by Hammerton hung over the aisles, and
the walls were aglow with a soft, purple hue. Attendees were able to see companies like Hastings
Tile & Bath and Mirth Studio, which had never
exhibited at KBIS before. InvisaCook unveiled
amazing new cooking technology, and Lamps
Plus Pros had a bright, open booth displaying
countess lighting options.
We, along with NKBA and all our collaborative teams, work hard all year long to put KBIS
together. It is truly gratifying to not only see it
come together but come together so successfully.
Ultimately, however, we would not get to do what
we do if it wasn't for all our readers, attendees and
exhibitors who truly make KBIS the must-attend
event that it is. So thank YOU for an amazing and
dynamic event, and we look forward to doing it all
over again next year in Vegas baby!

AMY HORNBY
Show Director
Kitchen & Bath Industry Show
Amy.Hornby@emeraldexpo.com
Twitter: @AmyBlackHornby

/ APRIL 2019 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

http://www.twitter.com/AmyBlackHornby http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.NKBA.org http://www.KBIS.com

Kitchen & Bath Business - April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business - April 2019