Due to health and safety concerns and ongoing travel restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Association of Home Builders and National Kitchen & Bath Association announced that the 8th annual Design & Construction Week featuring NAHB's International Builders' Show and NKBA's Kitchen & Bath Industry Show will no longer be an on-site event. Instead, the two groups are planning a robust, all-virtual event.
Design & Construction Week was scheduled to take place on Feb. 9-11, 2021, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. 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."
"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. An all-virtual Design & Construction Week will be a different experience, but with it comes new opportunities to reach an even larger audience that would not have been able to participate on-site, for any number of reasons, including on-going travel restrictions. We pledge to transform KBIS into an exceptional show experience for everyone. And we will be back live - bigger and stronger - for DCW 2022."
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.
Design & Construction Week will return to Orlando as an in-person event Feb. 8-10, 2022.
Further 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.
