Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2020 - 10

February/March 2019

n k b a

FUELING THE DECADE AHEAD

W

OW! Another KBIS is in the books, and the first edition for the 2020s
did not disappoint.
The energy was palpable throughout the vast Las Vegas Convention Center, as Design & Construction Week in total took up three
massive halls, featuring more than 2,000 exhibitors in more than a million
square feet of exhibition space. It was truly the epicenter of the residential
design and building world during the third week of January. KBIS alone
spanned more than 435,000 square feet, with more than 100 new exhibitors
among the 600+ on the show floor. And, as a strong indicator that the positive vibe and industry-wide confidence extends beyond these three exhilarating days, exhibit space for KBIS 2021 booked at the 2020 show was 20,000
square feet more than what was booked at KBIS 2019 for the 2020 edition!
We hope you were able to attend and discover the tremendous array of
new products and ever-more sophisticated technologies that are coming
into the kitchen and bath space. There were numerous opportunities for
CEU-qualified professional development and general learning all three
days of the show - from more than 70 Voices from the Industry Conference
sessions, to the robust programming on the KBISNeXT Stage, to fascinating discussions at the Design Milk X Modenus Talks Lounge, to NKBA's
Specialty Badge prep and test sessions. During KBIS, 56 members tested
for and earned badges in Cabinetry, Sustainability and Remodeling. And
as visitors walked through the aisles, many exhibitors offered quick tutorials
on product use, design and installation.
Our State of the Industry panel, moderated by Fox News anchor Melissa
Francis, offered a thoughtful discussion with Mikael Åkerberg, CEO of
European kitchen furniture maker nobilia; Katty Pien, chief marketing officer of LIXIL Americas, home to iconic brands American Standard, DXV
and Grohe; Randy Warner, president of luxe appliance maker Dacor; and
Adam Sandow, chairman and CEO of SANDOW luxury media. The session focused on technology in the K&B sector - both from the consumer
and the manufacturing points of view - and the lack of skilled tradespeople,
weaving the two topics together and offering possible strategies for remedying the labor situation. (See page 38 for a report on this event.)

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The hottest topics buzzing on the expo floor
were sustainability, technology for the connected
home and design with wellness and Living in
Place top of mind. This is indicative of where our
society is headed in general. Whether millennial home buyers just getting started, established
homeowners remodeling for their dream kitchens
and baths or seniors remodeling with the idea of
staying in their long-time residence safely for
as long as possible, most everyone is headed in
the same direction. Healthier living, responsible
sourcing and recycling of materials and making our homes "smarter" through whole-home
integrated technology are all top priority in the
projects of this next decade - and of course, it all
needs to look great and function properly. Customization and personalization were also key
drivers across many product categories.
We take great satisfaction in knowing that our
industry continuously strives to stay ahead of this
curve. Our brands' engineers and designers are
developing the products and systems that will
advance the function, technology, design and
sophistication of the homes of the future. And,
through professional development, Thought
Leadership Summits and other events and programs, our association continuously strives to
bring our members the latest news so they may
stay on top of their game.
We look forward to continuing and improving
our programs and events throughout the year,
working with our Board of Directors and our 70
chapters throughout North America and optimizing our efforts in providing the information,
ideas and innovation that are most valuable to
our industry.
Through membership in NKBA, we hope you
will avail yourselves of the great opportunities in
professional development and networking that
make us a robust community and a thriving industry. Visit nkba.org or call 1-800-the-nkba for
more information.


BILL DARCY
CEO
National Kitchen + Bath
Association
BDarcy@nkba.org
Twitter: @NKBA_CEO

/ FEB.-MARCH 2020 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of NKBA (NKBA.org) and KBIS (KBIS.com)

2/12/20 5:20 PM
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Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2020
