This Year's Theme: “Where Are We Now and Where Do We Go From Here.”

Design & Construction Week (DCW) now consists of five combined trade shows, and this year, the Manhattan Chapter convened at the recently expanded Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) to explore a combined 2.5 million square feet of exhibition space and 5,000 participating brands, including the NKBA KBIS show; the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) – International Builders Show (IBS); The National Hardware Show; The International Surface Event (TISE) – Stone Expo; and the LV Winter Market. WOW, that’s a lot of shows. However, we only had the chance to cover our chapter sponsors at both KBIS & IBS.

Our Manhattan chapter arranged four tours. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we covered KBIS and IBS chapter sponsors, getting the latest news on some of the world's premium brands. We did In-depth video interviews with our sponsors and posts to share on our social media platforms. The two off-site showhouse tours included a private tour of Savant’s hi-tech Dessert Oasis. In addition, we arranged another off-site tour of the National Association of Home Builders (NHBA)–The New American Home (TNAH). Signature Kitchen Suite (SKS) and Crestron Home were sponsors of this year's new house build. Click the QR Code to see the full schedule.

A first for our chapter, we had the privilege of holding our January Chapter meeting at the Savant Showhouse, which included a cocktail reception and the swearing-in of our 2023 chapter officers. Both showhouses were indeed experiences to remember.  

KBIS truly outdid itself this year for the 60th anniversary of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). Turnout for the KBIS and IBS broke all records, and the last unofficial report buzzing around was over 110,000 with a combined attendance of 200,000. "Exciting" was just the tip of the iceberg as we awaited a surprise. On Monday, chapter officers from all 71 chapters spent the day learning at individual training sessions for each officer’s category. National presenters began each training session as an open forum, which led to incredible exchange of ideas from all 71 committee chairs, learning from each other, and even the National presenters got a bit of learning, too!

At the end of the training day, champagne was waiting to toast NKBA's 60th anniversary as top hits from the '60s played throughout the day. A nice ending to what ordinarily would feel like a school day, but became brainstorming best-case scenarios to help chapters create better experiences for members.

EXPERIENCES AT KBIS 2023

There were many fun learning and entertainment experiences before and during the show. Where to start? The VIP bashes; the Sheryl Crow concert; the Voices of the Industry, The Next Stage; or the Award ceremonies. And then there was the 30 Under 30; Drew & Jonathan; Global Connect; and the “Brand with the Biggest Bite” competition. However, the crescendo, literally and metaphorically, was the NKBA Awards on Monday evening. We were warned that a surprise was awaiting us, but Bill & Susie took it over the top. “Kool & The Gang” played for non-stop for the enthusiastic crowd. I lost count of the hours. So freak’n cool, I even got a fist bump from one of the "Gang’'as they left the ballroom. Someone get me some smelling salts. Look for video posts on our social soon; "Kool & The Gang" certainly lived up to their name—even had some of us old fogies rocking in the aisles. 

The best deal, and the only deal in Las Vegas, was THE LOOP. These underground tunnels featured chauffeured Tesla cars that drive you from one hall to another. With LVCC’s West Hall addition, it could take an hour to walk from the west hall to the south hall. We know what feet feel like during a trade show. For $4.50, this was the best way to get around the LVCC campus.

Meanwhile, follow the Manhattan Chapter on our social accounts for more fun photos and videos in the upcoming months. 

We’d love to hear about your experiences at KIBS 2023 with any photos you thought were fun and exciting. E-mail us at communications@nkbamanhattan.org

Respectfully, Charle-John Cafiero, Communications Chair