The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), owned by the National Kitchen and Bath Association just completed its first in-person show in two years.
The combined strengths of the NKBA and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), continuing their nine-year partnership to produce Design and Construction Week (DCW), delivered one of the largest in-person events since the beginning of the pandemic. Together, the connected shows featured 1,200 exhibitors, occupying 750,000 net square feet of exhibit space, and 70,000 energized attendees representing all areas of the new construction and residential remodeling industries.
Held at the Orange County Convention Center on February 8- 10, 2022, the blended KBIS and International Builders’ Show (IBS) floor experience fostered increased crossover traffic as custom builders, remodelers and project builders discover new product options with KBIS exhibitors.
“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 UK, 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 2022 Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Levels
KBIS, owned by the NKBA and produced by Emerald Expositions, is the largest North American trade show for the kitchen and bath industry. KBIS 2022 featured 375 exhibitors—85 of whom were first-time exhibitors. 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 brand new to the show.
“There is no question DCW surpassed all of our expectations,” comments 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.”
KBIS 2022 By the Numbers
- 70,000 Design & Construction Week Attendees
- 350 Exhibitors
- 85 new exhibitors
- 70+ NKBA Voices from the Industry conference education sessions
- 40+ panels and award presentations at the KBIS NeXT Stage, DMM Lounge, Global Connect Pavilion
In addition, the KBIS 2022 show was also home to the NKBA Design + Industry Awards, as well as the KBISNeXT Stage, the DesignBites program, Design Milk X Modenus Talks Lounge, NKBA Global Connect, and the Best of KBIS Awards.
The KBIS 2023 and Design & Construction Week is set to take place on Jan. 31 – Feb 2, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nev., at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
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