Appliance retailers and vendors that didn’t get their fill of Sin City during CES 2016 got another go at it last week when the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and International Builders’ Show (IBS) held court at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For the third year the events were held concurrently in what has been dubbed Design & Construction Week, devised to bring exhibitors and attendees back to the shows following the housing market collapse.
The tactic worked, and the combined conventions remain the bedrock of the building, decorating and home improvement industries, and have once again become a premier showcase for the major appliance trade. The event however continues to vie with CES as a major platform for white-goods intros, particularly as majap and connected technologies converge.
The partnership has been extended through 2020, with both events moving to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., for the next two years, and returning to Vegas in 2019. Last week’s lineup included nearly four dozen white-goods makers. A complete best-of- show rundown will appear here in the Feb. 15 issue of TWICE.
