Thursday, February 08, 2007

Day 2 at IBS

More from the International Builders Show after 2 days...

- No doubt it was busier today than yesterday. While still not packed to its usual capacities, the halls were better attended for sure.

- Funny side was there was an entire magazine available at the show dedicated to showing you how you can sell some one on buying a brand new custom built home. Gave lots of tips and strategies, except one... HOW in the heck are you supposed to sell the home you are in now? It's comical... Here the push is on new homes and yet isn't a major problem the inability to sell your current home? I think I'm in the majority when I say I'd move in a heartbeat, if I knew I could sell my home (which at this point in the economy in Michigan- it's not happening.)

- With 100,000 people expected at this show, a very intricate network of shuttle buses was created to move people around. Needless to say, I was stuck on the worst shuttle bus in history- as my driver came to my hotel via Tampa.

- Also wanted to clarify that there is much much more here than just windows and building products. Literally anything that has to do with building a house is represented. Some examples:

8 exhibitors showing Home Alarms (Only 8, with millions of houses, I would've expected more)
16 exhibitors showing Barbecue Equipment (including one from China. Now if you have to buy your BBQ from China, that's going overboard isn't it?)
112 exhibitors showing Bathroom Accessories (Bathrooms are just more important than anything else in my opinion)
4 exhibitors showing Ice Makers (Wow imagine the Blogs about that on US ICE.com)
26 exhibitors showing Mailboxes (No wonder I can't upsell glass to a builder, he's too busy deciding between 26 different mailbox suppliers!)
16 exhibitors showing "Shower Heads" (I never knew there'd be so much variety in the shower head racquet)

Anyway point is that this is a very diverse show and while windows and building products are the dominating force, there is a whole other side of it.

- Speaking of shower heads and that technology, when I win the lottery my first purchase will be one of the showers that was on display here- with showerheads virtually everywhere inside the shower stall. I mean you don't have to move, water gets you from every possible direction. That has to be one relaxing shower.

Finishing this post off with a video- as was noted in the comments from yesterday's post- Scott Surma of Decotherm brought up the famous "Cedric the Entertainer" Super Bowl Commercial. Here it is:


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