Article #2
Looking back at K/BIS 2009
May 1 - 3, for the most prominent trade show on the circuit, the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (K/BIS). Recognized as one of the greenest cities in America, Atlanta welcomed visitors for the 28th annual K/BIS with its customary Southern hospitality.
Organized by the NKBA (National Kitchen & Bath Association), K/BIS is a key trade event for the kitchen and bath market. Not only does the show serve as a platform for showcasing trend-setting products and technologies, K/BIS also presents valuable educational and networking opportunities for industry professionals.
Opening day saw a flood of enthusiastic crowd members, made up of dealers, designers, architects, distributors, retailers, consumers, home center staff, as well as kitchen and bath professionals. All eagerly assembled to view the market’s dizzying array of new products and design ideas.
Between the aisles and beyond
Despite a reduction in exhibitors and attendees, the annual show continued to delight and inform attendees. This year’s event featured a variety of product displays and demonstrations, professional development courses, interactive roundtable events plus networking opportunities with thousands of industry professionals.
Determined to provide unprecedented value to show participants, K/BIS offered an impressive lineup of celebrity speakers. K/BIS ’09 featured the most celebrity speakers ever seen at the show, including Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s Paul DiMeo, This Old House’s Richard Tretheway and Carole Fruehauf, John Gidding of HGTV’s Designed to Sell, Aida Mollenkamp of Food Network’s Ask Aida, The Young & the Restless’ Steve Ford (son of President Gerald Ford), and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.
In addition to celebrity speakers, the show featured a great lineup of business speakers including economist Terry Savage
and Green to Gold author
Andrew Winston, as well as Harry Gianetti, former Vice President of Thermador, BSH, Mills Pride,
and Elica.
A league of their Own
Despite current economic conditions, KWC and Hansa remain at the forefront of world-renowned luxury faucet brands, and their exhibit at K/BIS reinforced their position.
The company enabled booth visitors to experience the brand and its products with live working faucets. Additionally, taking styling cues from a recent study on bathrooms of the future, the HANSA group unveiled new products and concepts through its unique “Innovation Circle” exhibit. This exhibit was inspired by an insightful study of futuristic bathrooms, titled the ‘HANSA Innovation Circle’, conducted jointly with NOA Design. The study shed new light on consumer trends, inspiring Hansa designers to develop the most contemporary products to date.
KWC's latest introductions - KWC AVA, KWC ONO lightpin, KWC ONO highflex™, KWC EVE, and KWC SUPRIMO - represent advanced product developments intended to enhance homeowners' satisfaction, both aesthetically and functionally.
Beyond KWC's product extensions, new soap dispensers were introduced as a practical addition for homeowners. Designed to complement the appearance of the KWC ONO, KWC AVA and KWC EVE, the soap dispensers denote the company's emphasis on modernization and detail-oriented design.
Lights, Camera, Action
KWC and HANSA welcomed several media elite, including K+BB, Architectural Digest, Scripps Networks, Meredith Corporation, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, and more.
Media and other visitors were drawn into the booth by a range of luminous products including the HANSACLEAR LUX, the HANSACANYON and the KWC EVE. Retailers, consumers, journalists and designers alike continue to be enthralled by the use of LUMINAQUA® Advanced Light Technology in faucets, as well as chromotherapy for showers.