Apr 18 2005
At its annual spring board meeting held here over the weekend, the 2,000-member Board of Directors of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) voted to exercise its contractual rights and terminate its commitment to hold the 2007 and 2008 International Builders Show (IBS) in the city of Atlanta.
"When we first made the decision to go to Atlanta in the mid-1990's, the IBS was a significantly smaller show that attracted about 65,000 guests over four days," said NAHB President David F. Wilson. "In recent years, attendance at the IBS has soared to more than 100,000, hotels room bookings are exceeding 50,000 per show and demand for exhibit space at the convention facility has risen significantly. While our members believe Atlanta is a terrific city and have fond memories of holding the convention there in the past, it was the show's double-digit growth over the last three years that has precipitated this very difficult decision by our Board."
"Mayor Shirley Franklin, The Georgia World Congress Center and The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau have been great to work with and been very gracious during this period. The NAHB Board made it very clear that NAHB will meet all of its contractual commitments stipulated in the termination agreement," stated Wilson.
"Atlanta values its 25 year partnership with the National Association of Home Builders. We understand the business decisions regarding the 2007 and 2008 IBS, and the city would welcome them back for future meetings and conventions of any size," said Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.
No final decision has yet been made on where the show will be relocated.