LAS VEGAS, NV -- More than 67,000 home building professionals from around the world filled the exhibit halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center as The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) hosted the 75th anniversary of the NAHB International Builders' Show® (IBS) Feb. 19-21.
IBS and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) once again combined for the annual Design & Construction Week® (DCW), which drew over 100,000 attendees.
"As the International Builders' Show celebrates 75 years, it remains the premier event for the housing industry," said Geoff Cassidy, NAHB senior vice president of exhibitions and meetings. "With the largest attendance in 10 years, we're proving once again that IBS is the only place to experience such a diverse collection of innovative products, education sessions and networking opportunities all in one place."
Exhibit space for IBS also expanded from last year's 583,000 square feet to more than 608,000 square feet, where nearly 1,500 exhibitors displayed the latest in building products and technology. DCW featured more than 2,000 exhibitors occupying more than one million square feet of indoor and outdoor spaces. Many of the exhibitors noted the increased foot traffic this year.
"The experience during the three days of the show has been great. It's been a very busy show, a lot of fun and we've been interacting with a lot of builders, contractors and other vendors at the show," said Blake R. Edwards, Sr. Product Marketing Manager Controls & Indoor Air Quality at Lennox. "We're getting a lot of good insight from listening to the customers and the builders that come here that have questions on our products but we're also giving a lot of valuable feedback to them as well."
In addition to meeting suppliers and seeing product demos throughout the three-day show, attendees networked with peers and attended any of more than 130 education sessions led by experts on a wide range of industry topics.
"Everywhere you go at IBS, there's something to see, something to learn," said Brandon Hines, owner of Hines Homes in Maumelle, Ark. "The show floor was very impressive, and honestly, a little overwhelming at first because there's just so many interesting products to learn about and people to talk to. But for me, the most beneficial part [of IBS] has been the education sessions. We're focused on growing and improving our business, and each session we attended provided us specific ideas on how we can achieve that."
Next year, IBS and Design & Construction Week will be held in Las Vegas Jan. 21-23, 2020.