A deep look at getting better show results!
BY PETER SCHOR
Showroom specialist
There is no doubt that 2009 is a challenging year for all of us in the showroom industry. I am hoping that you read my December 2008 column, which had some guidelines on what you can do during these times. The January 2009 showroom column had some positive insights taken from the negative happenings. Furthermore, there are many answers for today’s economic problems in the archives of The Wholesaler (www.thewholesaler.com). The September 2006 to current showroom articles are available and easy to print!
Kitchen and bath industry
In early December, Ed S. Pell, master market researcher for the K&B industry, who has 35 years experience in the market segment, said, “For all the scare headlines, 2008 turned out to be a decent year for kitchen and bath remodeling. Kitchen remodeling declined about 6%, to 7.1 million jobs, but high-end project returned causing spending to increase more than 255 to over $121 billion. Bath remodeling jobs dipped nearly 7% to just over 10 million units, but spending on those jobs was up slightly less than 1% to $71 billion.”
Yes, I know the economy has turned dramatically downward since that date, but presently things are more positive.
Hotel industry
Have you wondered why there was not a single nickel in the “bail-out” for the hotel, travel and tourism industry? The reason is that the hotel industry, specifically, is doing well. In fact, construction is still booming. Most hotel projects in progress are fully funded through early 2010 and there is great demand for bath/plumbing products. Do you want to receive “juicy” information for your company about how to cash in on the hotel industry? Look in the December issue of The Wholesaler on page 67, under the heading “Industry News.” Many people in our industry were grateful for the information.
As you know, I am the proverbial optimist. When it gets tough out there, I become very creative and work “smarter” with my clientele. My advice through these tough economic times: Cut down on the amount of negative, toxic, repetitive news you watch on television and read in the newspapers. Fifteen minutes a day will give you all you need to stay current, adopt a positive attitude, and keep a solution-oriented mind. Your clients deserve this. Reduce stress by reading my February 2009 showroom column: “Stress reduction in these tough economic times.”
General overview of K/BIS 2009 — Slim pickin’s require smart choices
This year, K/BIS 2009 (www.kbis.com), will be held at the World Congress Center in Atlanta. Next year K/BIS 2010 will be held on April 16-18 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Atlanta is a great place to have the convention and, for most, a welcome change for those in the South and Northeast regions. The show hours will be 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The show will have about 700 exhibitors and will cover about 400,000 square feet of exhibit space. There are three exhibit halls (A, B, and C). There are also three specialty pavilions at K/BIS to help you focus on industry segments:
- Decorative Hardware (new) in B Hall
- Natural Stone and Tile in C Hall
- Cabinets also in C Hall.
The NKBA Bookstore always has some good books available on bath design and sales skills. Many of these books can be put on display in your own showroom library. There is also the NKBA Center Stage, which has CEU Credit presentations that will be open to all attendees. The schedule will be available at K/BIS 2009.
I am sad to say that K/BIS 2009 is becoming even more of a “kitchen and bath dealer and design-oriented” show, leaving out the balance of the showroom industry attendees: product sellers, plumbing wholesalers and DPHA-type showrooms, and the manufacturers and reps that serve them. There are very few educational programs for our segments. In my knowledgeable industry experience opinion, the NKBA, the educational arm of K/BIS, is starting to reverse itself.
The New Product Pavilion, now called “Best of K/BIS 2009,” has had some improvements going from one kitchen and one bath product award to 10 categories in kitchen and nine categories in bath. The 17 judges are all from the NKBA. I think to improve upon “The Best of New Products” the judging should be done by independent designers, architects, or a voting ballot from the attendees. How about have some of the great plumbing wholesaler and DPH showroom product gurus; people like Jeff Burton, Joe Passero, Sam Rose and numerous others, who know what makes a new Product be best: IAPMO Code approval, mechanical reliability, shipping on time, and perhaps will be in business next year!
The cost for non-exhibiting manufacturers to walk the floor is $250! The purpose of the policy is to protect the manufacturers exhibiting at K/BIS and maintain the integrity of the show. Last year it seemed that some non-exhibiting manufacturers wore inappropriate clothing, which made them look like walking billboards rather than industry professionals. I still think they might have arrived at a better solution. I know a dozen manufacturers from many parts of the world that are coming to walk the show to see if they should exhibit in the future. They might come away a little disappointed.
Things to watch for at K/BIS 2009
Check your K/BIS Show Directory website, www.kbis.com, click on “Conference” for detailed descriptions, costs and room numbers of the events. Please read the titles and descriptions of the seminars and make your own decisions whether or not the seminars fit your needs.
One of the greatest perks of the K/BIS Convention is getting the magazines and free subscriptions. Most of the magazines are not assigned a booth until the middle of April or closer to show time. I would go to (www.kbis.com under “Exhibitor List” and look under “Publication — business to business” and “Publications — Consumer.” Last year, I counted 23 magazine booths. If you come to their booth with a complete contact list of your other showrooms, you can subscribe as a group with the completion of one subscription card. You will note that many magazines might not be exhibiting in 2009, but you can still find the magazines in bins located outside the convention hall.
Make sure you stop by the TMB Publications Booth where The Wholesaler, PHC News and Plumbing Engineer magazines are located! Make sure your staff has subscribed to The Wholesaler so you can read my monthly showroom column. Many associations utilize booths as a way of getting closer to the show, so check this out.
There are many more manufacturers this year from China. Additionally, there are more new American companies importing products from China under American type names.
When you look for manufacturers from China, be sure that they have the “ISO Quality Certification”, and have an understanding of how we do business in the U.S.
Due to the date of the K/BIS 2009 Convention, and the magazine deadlines, I will be writing about “New and Hot Bath Products and Trends” in the May, June and July monthly columns of the magazine. Please see the New Product Showcase in this month’s magazine for some of the hottest products and product lines of the year.
Peter Schor, president of Dynamic Results, Inc., is an educator, motivational speaker, consultant, coach and writer in our industry and many diverse others. For the past 17 years, he has conducted 100 educational programs yearly, including 34 industry conventions. Schor has great expertise in the field of showrooms and has won many industry awards. He also works with manufacturers in the field of sales, marketing and public relations. Schor can be reached at 1491 Ivy Arbor, Lincoln, CA 95648, phone 916/408-5346, fax 916/408-5899, e-mail pschor@dynamicresultsinc.com or visit his website at www.dynamicresultsonline.com.