John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino interviewed NKBA’s CEO about the big show.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

 

In the warm-up to the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Orlando, Jan. 9-11, NKBA CEO Bill Darcy chatted with the “Kitchen Cousins,” John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino, on their “Home with the Cousins” podcast, detailing the lineup of programming and events set for the largest trade show devoted to the kitchen and bath space.

The show also marked the start of a series of pre-KBIS podcasts the cousins are hosting, in which they will highlight some of the new products and technologies that will be unveiled at the show.

“KBIS is incredible — it’s massive, everybody [in the industry] is there,” said Carrino. “It’s the Super Bowl of our industry, the place to be to see the latest and greatest new products for your clients for the coming year, and for creativity in general.”

Besides the tremendous volume of new products and innovations at the show, Darcy stressed the professional development opportunities available through NKBA and at KBIS. “Our efforts are around education and research, networking, [communicating at the grass-roots level] through 70 chapters throughout North America, and the biggest platform of the year at KBIS. Our goal is to provide as much intelligence on product, services and education, so members can find one another, learn from one another, do business with one another, and become as highly educated as possible.”

When consumers work with an NKBA member, he continued, “They know they’re working with the best. I encourage consumers to ask their trade professionals, ‘Did you go to KBIS?’ because that gives consumers a general sense of the breadth of the pro’s knowledge of the industry.”

Colaneri enthused, “I feel like KBIS is like my Christmas, because these are the gifts that last the whole year for me. And with the new series we’re kicking off on the podcast, talking to more companies, and hearing about all the great things coming out for 2018 — I can’t wait for the show.”

Darcy pointed out that KBIS itself covers more than 400,000 square feet and showcases some 600 exhibitors. However, the show is co-located with the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders Show to form the fifth annual Design & Construction Week, for a total of almost a million square feet of space offering more than 2,100 exhibitors — accessible with one expo pass.

The Cousins will be at the show, participating in a series of “Fireside Chats” in The Backyard at KBIS. The Backyard is devoted to outdoor kitchens, the design of exterior living spaces, and brands that make products for outside living. Colaneri and Carrino will talk about building a space in a way that accommodates homeowners’ needs and style of entertaining, and the chat will be live-streamed on their podcast.

On the show, Darcy also spoke about NKBA member benefits, including certification and education, and related details of the Association’s new website, which makes its official debut at KBIS. He detailed the site’s new search function that matches trade professionals with each other — designers, remodelers, contractors, skilled tradesmen, dealers, brands and others — and allows the public to find designers and trade pros in their local area. The site ultimately will be filled with company and individual profiles of industry professionals and a library of photos, searchable by styles, like “farmhouse” or “contemporary,” or details like “white kitchen.”

To listen to the full half-hour podcast, click here: https://soundcloud.com/homethecousins/ep23-kbis-2018-series-the-nkba