International Builders Show moves to virtual format for 2021
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) announced that the 8th annual Design & Kitchen Construction Week has been changed to a virtual event.
Including the NAHB’s International Builders' Show (IBS) and NKBA's Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), transforming the show from an on-site event to a virtual format was prompted by COVID-19 and safety concerns, the organizations announced today.
Design & Construction Week was scheduled to take place on Feb. 9-11, 2021, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The new all-virtual DCW 2021 will still take place the week of Feb. 8 with extended programming.
"Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of our exhibitors, attendees and the thousands of onsite workers who support the premier event of the residential construction industry, we feel the only prudent course is to make this year's show a virtual event," said NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke, a custom home builder from Tampa, Fla. "We have plenty of great virtual educational programs, innovative products, services and workshops on tap, and we are very excited about the 2021 show.”
It's an opportunity to set a precedent for the industry by producing a dynamic virtual trade show, and we look forward to a very successful Design & Construction Week."
Registration for the virtual DCW event is free for all NKBA and NAHB members and, as with the in-person shows, attendees will have access to KBIS and IBS exhibitors and programming.
The new virtual format will allow participants to see the latest product launches and cutting-edge housing and design innovations, hear from the top leaders in the industry, and take part in online education courses, from wherever they are in the world.
"This difficult decision comes following months of lengthy conversations with NAHB and Emerald," said Bill Darcy, CEO of the NKBA. "The safety and well-being of our attendees, partners, exhibitors, site workers and staff has always been our top priority. As we now cross the 16-weeks-out mark, it was time to transition to 100% focus on a virtual event.”
Looking ahead, Darcy said, “We will be back live - bigger and stronger - for DCW 2022."
Design & Construction Week is slated to return to Orlando as an in-person event Feb. 8-10, 2022.
More details on the virtual offerings will be forthcoming. For more information on the International Builders' Show, visit www.buildersshow.com, and for information on the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, visit www.kbis.com.