Jan 21 2008
Thousands of home builders and their colleagues from across the housing industry will be returning to Orlando, Fla., for the 2008 International Builders' Show (IBS) at the Orange County Convention Center on Feb. 13-16. This will be the fourth consecutive year that Orlando has hosted the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) mega-show, where housing professionals can access a greater array of cutting-edge products and services geared to the building industry than at any other place on earth.
With more than 1,900 exhibits spread out over more than one million net square feet of space, the show promises to provide home builders and their affiliates with a sneak-peak at some never-before-seen products, and hopefully a leg-up on the competition.
"The International Builders' Show is the event of the year for our industry and presents a tremendous opportunity to help home builders position themselves for success in today's challenging business environment," noted NAHB President Brian Catalde, a home builder from El Segundo, Calif. "Not only does it provide a great forum for networking, with tens of thousands of housing professionals in attendance, but it's also the perfect place to learn the best business management and construction practices through nearly 300 education sessions being offered throughout the show." More than 100,000 housing professionals, including home and apartment builders, architects, product manufacturers and those involved in every aspect of residential and light commercial construction attended the 2007 show.
A special highlight of the IBS will be "Green Day" on Thursday, Feb. 14, when NAHB officially launches the new NAHB National Green Building Program and a Certified Green Professional designation for home builders, remodelers and other industry professionals. In addition, the day will be filled with special seminars devoted to educating industry members about ways to build and market environmentally sensitive products and services.
Other IBS highlights will include The New American Home(r) 2008, a one-of-a-kind green show home that is being built in a nearby neighborhood and will be open for attendees to tour throughout the IBS, as well as Grand Opening Ceremonies featuring the husband-and-wife political analysts James Carville and Mary Matalin. Additional featured speakers throughout the week include famous architect William McDonough on Green Day (Thursday, Feb. 14); Mark Jarvis, chief marketing officer of Dell computers, on Friday, Feb. 15; and Ken Schmidt, formerly of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co., on Saturday, Feb. 16.
The exhibit floor will feature suppliers spanning more than 300 product categories ranging across every aspect of the residential and light commercial construction fields. Building professionals interested in the very latest in home building technologies can also visit nextBUILD,[tm] where exhibitors of cutting-edge products will be featured.
The 2008 International Builders' Show is not open to the general public. Building industry professionals and their affiliates throughout the housing trades are welcome to register by visiting the show's Web Site at www.BuildersShow.com.
Discounted online registration ends January 25, 2008. Attendees will be able to register on site at the show beginning on Sunday, Feb. 10. Visitors can also see what the show has to offer at www.BuildersShow.com/VTS, a virtual showcase for exhibitors and their products. IBS exhibit floor hours are listed below.
2008 INTERNATIONAL BUILDERS' SHOW EXHIBIT FLOOR HOURS
- Wednesday, Feb. 13, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Thursday, Feb. 14, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Friday, Feb. 15, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 16, 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.