New Location Is Draw for VNU's K/BIS

By Heidi Genoist -- Tradeshow Week, 5/23/2005

Owner, manager and exhibitors — all had reservations about their first Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference in Las Vegas. But at the end of its second day at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the May 9–12 event seemed to have put those worries to rest.

The farthest west the tradeshow for fixtures, plumbing, appliances, electronics and design elements had ever taken place is Dallas. Exhibitors like Rob Kass, vice president of marketing for American Standard, had concerns — not only that the move to Las Vegas would deter some East Coast attendees, but also that the move to a Monday-through-Thursday schedule (from the Friday-to-Sunday schedule it's held in years past) would keep business owners away.

If that was in fact true, then the losses were more than made up for by the new audience attracted to the West Coast location. The move to Las Vegas only boosted the growth streak that put K/BIS on the TSW Fastest 50 list last year.

Although neither the Natl. Kitchen & Bath Assn. (the owner) nor VNU Expositions (the manager) would give specific numbers on-site, they reported that registrations reflected a 25-percent increase over last year in total attendance at K/BIS (which, if you've wondered, is pronounced "K biz").

The exhibition was up too, from 475,085 net square feet last year in Chicago to 549,500 net sq. ft. this year, according to Cory Smith, building group show director for VNU.

Kass said, "The show is getting better — and certainly bigger. Booth presentation is becoming more important for all the bigger players. We have to show our customers how to show off our stuff."

He was referring to the fact that K/BIS' staple audience has been kitchen and bath showroom operators. However, one way NKBA and VNU have boosted attendance at the exhibition is by expanding the attendee base over the last few years to include more architects and designers, manufacturer reps and subcategories of dealers.

Michael Mueller, director of communications and Internet services for Kohler, said this has been a good move. "There has been an attempt to diversify and take this from an order-taking show to an opportunity to showcase the brand to all sectors of the business," Mueller said.

For Kohler, like American Standard and the other flagship exhibitors, K/BIS is the most important tradeshow on its calendar. And the kitchen and bath industry is thriving, with Americans remodeling their homes in record numbers over the last several years.

Still, K/BIS runs the risk of any other show: losing relevance, as manufacturers' salespeople get in the habit of meeting one-on-one with key, longstanding buyers throughout the year. Mueller said the association and VNU have been proactive in avoiding this problem by each year presenting them with the opportunity to build new relationships.

The move to Las Vegas is part of that plan. Although Smith said he will not have an opportunity to analyze attendee data for a couple of weeks, there are initial indications that the goal of pulling more West Coast buyers was achieved.

Designers AnnaKarin Jonsson and Allison Glen, of Architrave Interiors in San Diego, said they'd been aware of K/BIS for several years, but never attended because they thought it was too far away. Having seen the wide selection of new products on display, they now feel the show would be worth attending no matter where it takes place.

"The companies have very knowledgeable representatives in the booth," said Jonsson. "They really helped us understand how we can use the products and talk about them to our clients."

For many years, K/BIS has rotated between Orlando's Orange County Convention Center and Chicago's McCormick Place. However, Smith said, it will rotate between Chicago and Las Vegas for the next few years.

Some exhibitors said they would miss Orlando's hotels; others are just relieved to still have Chicago, with its abundant taxis and panoramic views, on the rotation. Still others, like FHP Kindred Midwest Regional Sales Manager Tim Dallas, complained that the LVCC — and the city — are more difficult to work in, logistically, than the other locations.

"All the locations are different. They all have their challenges and are fun to visit for different reasons," Kass said. "I'm just glad they aren't keeping it in the same place all the time."