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January 2015 ForResidentialPros.com | 83 D esign and Construction Week 2015 will ofer attendees hot spots all around Las Vegas to witness what's trending in design when it kicks of later this month. The epicenter of the action happens at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which will host the National Kitchen & Bath Association's Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, in addition to the International Builders Show, staged by the National Association of Home Builders. The 2015 edition of this collocated supershow takes place in conjunction with four other shows: The Interna - tional Surface Event – SURFACES, The Tile Expo, the Winter 2015 Las Vegas Market and the International Window Coverings EXPO – VISION (IWCE). As such, it features more opportunities than ever for professionals to learn, discover and celebrate their craft both within the kitchen and bath arena, as well as with an array of allied profes- sionals including builders, remodelers, architects, interior designers, DPH spe- cialists, fabricators and more. Show organizers are expecting attendance in excess of 125,000 professionals. ON THE FLOOR As with last year's show, a single registration will allow attendees to browse both shows, expanding the products and events to stoke a de- signer's imagination. The two shows will be spread over 600,000 square feet of space, with products on display ranging from cab- inetry, appliances, countertops and sinks/faucets to bath fxtures and ft- tings, storage, accessibility products, lighting, fooring, kitchen and bath accessories, software and more. In addition to products and services on display, there will be numerous prod- uct demonstrations, celebrity guests, booth presentations, new technology and live cooking demonstrations. HGTV will also be holding live auditions on- site for design professionals who might be the next face of the design-centric reality television network. The inaugural KBIS NeXT stage will be part of the festivities in the South Hall. KBIS NeXT, part of the 2015 show's expanded educational oferings, will showcase "next ideas, trends, and innovations in the in- dustry." Topics covered will include multigenerational design for the modern family, world design trends, creating the ultimate foodie kitchen, and creating the luxury his 'n hers bath. The KBIS NeXT stage will also feature special events, including the unveiling of the Innovative Showroom award, and a deep dive of the Virginia Tech FutureHaus. The show foor will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. January 20, 21 and 22 and will encompass the entirety of the LVCC's North Hall, and level S1 of the South Hall. LEARN SOMETHING KBIS has always ofered myriad edu- cational opportunities to attendees, and this year is no exception. Over 90 Voices from the Industry (VFTI) sessions are being ofered at KBIS 2015. Many will ofer continu- ing education units (CEUs) from the NKBA as well as other industry as- sociations, such as NAHB, NARI and AIA. The hour-long informational sessions are grouped into 11 con- ference blocks over three days and offer attendees a chance to hear presentations from industry peers on a variety of topics and trends. All VFTI sessions are in alignment with one of NKBA University's learning paths: Design & Inspiration, Focus on the Customer , Business Management , and Sales & Marketing . Two featured speakers are also part of the VFTI track: Jason Tester, research director at the Institute for the Future, who will be revealing IFTF research and insights into the Future of Design and how technology and human behavior interaction plays a role (Tuesday, January 20, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.), and Kevin Murphy, COO of Ferguson, who will deliver the KBIS 2015 State of the Industry address, on Wednesday, January 21, from 1:45 PM to 3:00 p.m. There will be 11 NKBA courses of- fered both pre-show and during KBIS. Both CEUs and NKBA education hours will be offered. Courses will range from two to four hours and are taught by top educators and instructors. Top- ics covered include everything from closet design to growing your business by selling to multigenerational clients. The keynote speaker this year, who will deliver the motivational speech during the Opening Ceremo- nies, is National Football League head coach and current ESPN analyst, Jon Gruden. The Opening Ceremonies will be held on Tuesday, January 20, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and is open to all attendees. PLUGGED IN As any KBIS veteran knows well, many of the best opportunities for network- ing take place of-foor and out of the conference room. Parties, events, dinners and break- fast meetings are prime time to relax and make some connections. There are events geared for kitchen and bath deal- ers and designers, reps, manufacturers, bloggers and more. From the NKBA's post-Design Competition Awards dinner party and the annual roaming #KB- TribeChat Progressive Chat, to the Best of KBIS and Innovation Booth Awards, BlogTour Champagne & Cupcakes tweet-up and manufacturer-sponsored events, there are opportunities to meet and share insights with people from all facets of the industry. KBIS attendees are encouraged to stop by and visit with the staf of Kitchen & Bath Design News, sister publication Qualifed Remodeler and portal site, ForResidentialPros.com at booth N1619. Visit ForResidentialPros. com to keep up with KBDN' s latest dispatches from KBIS, sign up for at- show eNewsletters, fnd coverage on Facebook or follow our tweets @KBDN. For a dd it ion a l i n for m at ion about Design and Const ruct ion Week, visit the event site at www. designandconstructionweek.com. On the following eight pages, KBDN ofers a sampling of products that will be shown on the exhibit foor during KBIS. KBIS 2015 In its second year as a key player of Design and Construction Week in Las Vegas, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show sets out to make exceeding attendee expectations a yearly event. Sets Its Stakes High