Washington, D.C. – February 3, 2016 – (RealEstateRama) — More than 110,000 housing industry professionals packed the aisles at Design & Construction Week,[tm] held Jan. 19-22 in Las Vegas. This marked the third year of the co-located mega-event, which included the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show (IBS), the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, the International Window Coverings Expo and The International Surface Event.
Official attendance for IBS was 59,687, which was 8 percent higher than last year’s show. Nearly 1,400 IBS exhibitors filled more than 500,000 square feet of space, including a record-breaking 30,000-square- foot outdoor exhibit space. New products focused on home technology and increased energy efficiency: two factors boosting the return of buyers to the new home market.
“The packed crowds and positive energy throughout this year’s Design & Construction Week are another indication of the residential construction industry’s ongoing recovery,” said NAHB Chairman Ed Brady, a home builder and developer from Bloomington, Ill.
IBS organizers also noted an increase in international exhibitors, with 460 exhibitors representing 25 countries and filling 72,000 square feet–or 14 percent of total IBS exhibit space.
Overall, Design & Construction Week boasted more than 3,750 exhibitors and 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space.
“We reached our goal of creating the ‘must attend, must exhibit’ week for anyone and everyone in the residential construction industry,” said Tom Swartz, chair of the NAHB Convention and Meetings Committee, during his report to the NAHB Board of Directors on the last day of IBS.
Crowded education sessions held during the show demonstrated that builders and remodelers are taking a bigger interest in automating their purchasing, accounting and sales systems. There were more than 120 education sessions during the event.
Swartz noted the expanded educational offering on the show floor, with more than 30 companies offering almost 90 “Exhibitor Forums,” and the addition of a new Exhibitor Forum Presentation Stage in Central Hall, where 16 exhibitors demonstrated their most innovative products.
Visit BuildersShow.com to see photos and videos of the show, as well as more information about the exhibitors, events, educational sessions and award winners.
The 2017 IBS, Jan. 10-12, moves to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
CONTACTS
Stephanie Pagan
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