More than 110,000 housing industry professionals attended Design & Construction Week (DCW) 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 (KBIS), the International Window Coverings Expo and The International Surface Event (TISE).

Official attendance for IBS was 59,687, which was 8% higher than last year's show, according to organizers. Nearly 1,400 IBS exhibitors filled more than 500,000 square-feet of space, including a 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 Ed Brady, NAHB chairman.

IBS organizers also noted an increase in international exhibitors, with 460 exhibitors representing 25 countries and filling 72,000 square feet, or 14% of total IBS exhibit space.

Overall, DCW boasted more than 3,750 exhibitors and 1.2 million net square-feet of exhibit space, according to show officials.

"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.

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 products.

For more information, visit BuildersShow.com and designandconstructionweek.com.