By Bill Darcy, NKBA CEO
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only on the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”
President John F. Kennedy said these words in 1963. Nearly six decades later, they still ring true, and they will continue for eons to come — because change is the only constant. KBIS 2021 Virtual will be a completely transformed event, unlike what most of us have ever experienced.
Then again, 2020 was unlike what most of us have ever experienced — and going forward, at least in the short term, things are unlikely to return to the way they were. So we have to evolve. And our trade show is evolving as well.
But, let’s face it. Things shouldn’t go back to “the way they were.” That would mean stagnation, regression, boredom. And these are the enemies of creativity, ingenuity, progress, success.
The pandemic might have accelerated things, but in reality, the exponential growth in communications technology that keeps us all connected has been nudging the whole world toward virtual experiences, meeting and networking — and at NKBA, we are making sure that KBIS and our industry are on the leading edge. We started this journey about five years ago, when we began transforming our website to a state-of-the-art mobile-first platform. Today, that seems almost primitive, considering the way the tech — and our website — have advanced in just a short time. But it was the necessary step that allowed us to take the leap to tomorrow.
The programming, content and delivery method that we’re developing for this edition of KBIS is extraordinary. It wasn’t widely available a few years ago, and what was available certainly was not at the level of sophistication that it is today. So, had this global health crisis occurred 10 or even five years ago, chances are slim that we would even be able to bring you the full-throttle KBIS experience that’s coming your way.
From 3D booths and virtual product tours and 24-7 access to terrific webinars in the Voices from the Industry Conference, to interactive, immersive activities that invite lots of audience participation, you will discover, learn, meet and network in groundbreaking ways.
We are confident that the innovations we experience will be of such a high caliber that we’ll continue to incorporate the best elements in years to come — and push the envelope as the combination of technology and creativity advance.
We’re planning a fantastic KBIS Opening Celebration on Monday, Feb. 8, that will provide a walk-through of the Virtual KBIS platform and some of our 3D booths, as well as some surprise guests. And, it wouldn’t be KBIS without our annual Kitchen & Bath Design + Industry Awards, where we’ll honor the winners of our professional and student design competitions, and pay tribute to some of our industry’s stars. We’ll have some special events for Chapters as well.
We’ve long characterized NKBA as “KBIS 365” — a way to extend the experience and maintain the spirit of discovery and community the whole year through. This is just one of the things that makes NKBA proud as a trade association, and, we believe, very valuable to our membership. The virtual component will allow us to extend in an even more meaningful way. We’ll have the potential to reach more people in more places, some of whom might not have been able to participate in a live event. And we’re making content and booths available on the virtual platform through March 31. VFTI Conference sessions will be available to those who purchase a pass for….get this, six months.
We know it’s not business as usual, and 2020, as we’ve said many times in the past nine months, has been a game-changer.
The struggles we go through in life make us stronger, smarter and teach us to make different decisions. They push us to become better — and sometimes, they are just the necessary impetus we need to take us on the path where we need to go.
