In February, the Las Vegas Convention Center was the site of Design and Construction Week, a combined trade show of the National Association of Home Builders International Builders Show and the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s Kitchen and Bath Industry Show. The combined shows covered 1.2 million total square feet of indoor and outdoor display space with 3,700 vendors who welcomed nearly 125,000 attendees. The energy throughout the show was electric and records show that it was the highest level of registered attendance in 17 years.
The general attraction to the show is learning (lots of educational opportunities) and networking (communing with peers, mentors and manufacturers), but most of all, getting to see the latest building and interior design products, giving attendees a leg up over their competitors with respect to their ability to solve their clients’ pain points with the latest product knowledge. For brevity, this article will focus on the products displayed at KBIS.
The overriding trends this year focused on meeting the needs of consumers and designers regardless of project size or budget; more color and texture; and technology to enhance efficiency, convenience, ergonomics and safety for a better quality of life, health and wellness and more.