KBIS 2007 - Kitchen & Bath Show Madness
It's been a crazy few days here at Vegas! But, of course you knew that...can Vegas be anything but? Leaving the hotel room by 7 am and returning at 9 pm, going nearly nonstop, is exhausting, but a good exhaustion. Surely didn't leave much time for blogging, but trust me, there is lots of new product information coming your way in the days and weeks ahead. I have lots to tell you about.
I go to the show, actually 2 shows, every year. This show is huge...there are 900 companies exhibiting. I can't explain how huge the show is except to say it took me 2 full days to walk the entire show at a leisurely pace, but not even stopping to examine every booth. That would take a week.
The first day, before the show opened, I attended seminars. In all, I took 413 images (until my battery ran out). I selected and packed up two huge boxes of press kits from exhibitors, which I will go through soon, when they are delivered. I attended press events and seminars. And, I, personally, conducted about 70 interviews at exhibit booths via my voice recorder for podcasts. It was me along with tens of thousands of my closest friends! That said, between all the activities, old friends are greeted, new people are met and cards exchanged.
I DO have an advantage. It's "Show Dog!" My husband's (actually registered title when I sent in the form) self designation. He mostly devotes himself to my well being, carrying the water bottles, always waiting patiently, waiting more, carrying stuff, attending the events, being a listening post to me and others, and he's not in the business. So, I must divulge that advantage and say, "thanks, honey, you're the best!" One day he carried my laptop around the entire day so I could blog at a seminar.
And, what would the show be without mishaps? From leaving the camera usb cable at home, buying the wrong one at a local camera store, having the brother in law at home find and fedex it to the hotel, losing my husband at the show early in the day with my cell phone in his bag (finding him, thankfully and then arguing about it of course), me leaving his wallet at the food court (finding it 1/2 hour later still in that spot after suddenly realizing it and bolting back there), having to go to the medical clinic to get a shot for a bad poison ivy outbreak, walking back from one end of town to another in the hot Vegas sun, after the seminars on the first day, because we made a short stop at Nieman Marcus :-) and then didn't realize the cabs don't stop in the street (not realizing we should go to a hotel driveway to get a cab). And, please, let's not forget the 7 hour plane delay, getting me home at 3 am, rather than my carefully planned 7:45 PM the night before. So, mishaps, there were a few! Probably more than our share this trip! But, it could always be worse. Give me a little time, while I think of how...meanwhile, here's the image from the hotel room, the Eiffel Tower just in front of me, Rome just beyond that, to the right.
When I do the show, I do it the most comprehensive way I know how. It's not just about walking the show. Not for me. It's also about observing and education. Taking as much as one can from a few short days. It's about discovering new trends, connecting the dots, seeing new products, getting reacquainted with tried and true products, and seeking out those little bits of enlightening information along the way. I struggle toward the end of the day with...see more vs. it's enough. That said, I LOVE it! I get giddy at the start and blue when it's time to leave the exhibit hall.
It is an intense experience! Today is the travel day back home. It was, as always, a great, great show. Next, an overview of trends seen at KBIS.
Thursday, May 10, 2007 at 07:34AM
Reader Comments (2)
Wow! It sounds like you had an amazing time! Did you manage to have a few nice dinners in there anywhere?
I can't wait to hear about the new products. Makes me glad I am taking my time planing our kitchen remodel. I am especially interested in sinks seeing as I can't commit to one, I hope you touch on that :)
Hi Ashley, yes, thank you, we did have some good dinners, thanks for asking. There are just so many choices out there in sinks. I'll be talking about that soon as well. I think there's a lot to be excited about in regard to sinks.