Design and Construction Week attracts crowds
Event with 4 shows fills up 1.2 million square feet in Vegas
Holding four home construction-related mega trade shows the same week in Las Vegas led to big crowds during Design and Construction Week 2016, organizers say.
2016 marked the third year that the International Builders’ Show, the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, the International Window Coverings Expo and the International Surface Event were held at the same time. This year’s events took place Jan. 19-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
For the Builders Show, official attendance was 59,687, which was 8 percent higher than last year, officials with the National Association of Home Builders said. The 1,400 exhibitors filled more than 500,000 square feet of show space, including a 30,000-square-foot outdoor exhibit.
Many new products showcased home technology and energy efficiency.
"The packed crowds and positive energy throughout this year's Design and 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, Illinois.
Fourteen percent of exhibit space — 72,000 square feet — was taken up by international companies, officials said.
The shows had a total of 3,750 exhibitors and 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space.
It was just the kind of event organizers said they were looking to create by combining events, said Tom Swartz, chairman of the NAHB Convention and Meetings Committee.
"We reached our goal of creating the 'must attend, must exhibit' week for anyone and everyone in the residential construction industry," he said.
The 120-plus educational seminars and exhibitor forums on the show floor were also well-attended, demonstrating the industry’s interest in education, officials added.
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