KBIS 2019 draws massive crowds to Las Vegas

ALPHARETTA, Ga.– (March 3, 2019) – The 2019 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), the largest North American event for kitchen and bath design professionals, welcomed designers, builders, technology integrators, dealers and kitchen and bath showroom professionals — and even a little bit of snow —along with more than 600 exhibitors to the Las Vegas Convention Center, February 19-21.

Early estimates indicate an increase of 30 percent attendance over 2018; the sixth consecutive year of attendee growth. Floor space increased, expanding to more than 1 million net square feet between KBIS and the co-located International Builders Show (IBS), which together make up Design & Construction Week. More than 400,000 NSF of show floor space has already been secured for KBIS 2020, returning to Las Vegas January 21-23, 2020.

“KBIS 2019 was a banner year for us. The energy was palpable between the exhibitors and the attendees,” said Brian Pagel, senior vice president of Emerald Expositions. “New products were being introduced by virtually every exhibitor, and the numerous programs, panels and events drew standing-room-only crowds. With registrations up 30 percenty over last year, the number of total participants at Design and Construction Week likely exceeded more than 100,000 industry professionals between both events.”

“As the owners of KBIS and as an all-industry association, we are committed to producing a show that provides something of value for everyone,” said Suzie Williford, executive vice president of industry relations and chief strategy officer, National Kitchen & Bath Association. “The kitchen and bath industry remains strong. Our most recent NKBA research study expects growth to continue through 2020, so it is imperative that we provide not only a showcase for innovative products but professional development and networking opportunities. Our community of manufacturers, design professionals, technology integrators, showrooms and builders now have the momentum to carry them through the year.”

KBIS NeXT Stage

Sponsored by HomeAdvisor, programming included 18 panels on a variety of topics including: color trends, women in design, the new modern luxury, innovations in sustainability, wellness and living in place and the integration of design and technology. Panel sponsors included JSG Oceana, Control4, hansgrohe and Kohler.

The return of the popular DesignBites presentations, where 10 brands are offered three minutes to impress an audience of industry media and design VIPs drew a standing-room-only crowd. Participating brands included:

  • Control4
  • Franke
  • Infinity Drain
  • LG
  • MAT Inter
  • Native Trails
  • Titus Group
  • THOR Kitchen
  • Samsung
  • Signature Kitchen Suite (SKS)

KBIS Uncorked

Hosted and sponsored by Signature Kitchen Suite, this invitation-only event replaced the Champagne & Cupcakes event from years prior. This networking and cocktail hour at KBIS celebrated the industry’s most influential voices; invitees included top kitchen and bath social influencers, media and other VIPs who gathered in the SKS Booth on day one of the show.

Best of KBIS Awards

The Best of KBIS Awards, sponsored again by Meredith Publishing (Beautiful Kitchens & Baths, Traditional Home, and Dream Kitchens & Baths) magazine brands yielded over 120 entries. The judging committee personally visited 50 finalists, selecting the final winners for each category:

  • Best of Show: Blade 3D Printed Faucet, DXV by American Standard
  • Kitchen Gold: Signature Kitchen Suite 48-inch Dual-Fuel Pro Range with Built-in Sous Vide, Signature Kitchen Suite
  • Kitchen Silver: HydroTap by Zip Water: Culligan International Company
  • Bath Gold: Flotation Tub With ZERO DIMENSION, TOTO
  • Bath Silver: PowderRain, hansgrohe
  • Smart Home Technology: Flo by Moen, Moen Incorporated
  • Outdoor Living: Kalamazoo Arcadia Series Outdoor Kitchen Cabinet, Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet
  • Impact Award: FOTILE Sink Dishwasher, Ningbo Fotile Overseas Kitchen Appliance co., Ltd. DBA Fotile

More information on winners can be found here.

KBIS Best Booth Awards

The best overall booth award went to Samsung. Other winners included:

  • GE Appliances, a Haier Company – Best Booth Large
  • SHKL – Best Booth Medium
  • Woodworks by Ted Todd – Best Booth Small
  • Sicis North America – Best Booth Large Honorable Mention
  • Cutler – Best Booth Medium Honorable Mention
  • Hammerton – Best Booth Small Honorable Mention

Photography/credit: NKBA/KBIS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *