Submitted by Appliance Stallion on Wed, 04/01/2009 - 1:06pm.
I think that Advisor has struck it rich with the cartoon.Maybe we call it. Dilbert the Lonely Designer. Cartoon Cooker. Appliance Appleplexy.Be creative.
Most of the manufacturers and suppliers exhibiting at KBIS are involved in both the Remodeling segment and the New Construction segment. Each business segment has it's own trade show and these shows are separated by only a few months. The duplicated effort and expense required of exhibitors is prohibitive. These shows could easily be consolidated into one super-show held each year alternating between the east and west coast. This would not only relieve a huge expense burden, it would also provide a single venue for manufacturers to introduce new products. Attendance would not be an issue if suppliers and customers had just one super-show to budget for each year. Consolidate KBIS and IBIS and create the U.S. version of Domotechnica.
Submitted by Appliance Stallion on Sun, 03/29/2009 - 4:14pm.
That is the best idea I have seen for quite some time. Covers all bias and cost issues and people would certainly pay attention and give their best at the show. Several years ago I went to a KBIS and just watched people for the first day. Everyone was talking but everyone listening was distracted by looking at everyone else while some people were talking to them. It appeared to be more of a social gathering for most. This should prevent most of that. Good thought Cohiba.
Submitted by Bermuda Bob on Sat, 03/28/2009 - 7:04pm.
K-Biz has lost it's way ... and for the Appliance Industry to not be the leader @ the show is a terrible miscalculation on their part ...
The craziest irony about K-Biz NOT going to Vegas is that there was a recent report on CNBC that noted that since Obama demonized Vegas, the hotels and conference centre have discounted their shows 40% to 60% just to keep them there !!! Even if K-Biz had been the flop it promises to be they could have done it for 40% to 60% less !!! Go figure ...
It's high time that the "Industry" dictate the terms of their show as opposed to "The Show" dictating the terms to the "Industry" !!!
K-Biz certainly risks irrelevance when all the no-shows are calculated !!!
Maybe it's time for an Appliance Industry Show if it's own ... run by it's members !!! I for one would be quick to volunteer !!!
Submitted by Appliance Stallion on Sat, 03/28/2009 - 8:04pm.
In case you have not yet figured it out there is no good effort to bring KBIS west at all. It goes to Orlando, Atlanta , Chicago and once in a blue moon to Vegas. How about LA ,SanFrancisco ? Denver. The appliance people and KBIS are like ESPN. I once confronted Chris Berman at a golf tourney in a friendly way about how they report things about the West Coast. He did not know which way to turn. Most of you East/Central/Southern types need to realize that the West Coast has the 6th or 7th largest economy in the world by itself. Why , some of your products are even purchased in California.As for Vegas, you can attend the convention and act like normal human beings like any place else or act like idiots just like any place else.
Submitted by Bermuda Bob on Sun, 03/29/2009 - 6:04pm.
Being from the east I am constantly amazed that everything is east coast oriented ... from TV to sports ... and the rest follow like puppy-dogs !!! Now, the time differential is responsible for most of that ... I remember being in Vegas for the UCLA-Arkansas Championship Game years ago and going to the Sports Book to watch the game ... I was met by other fans, naturally from the west coast ... they were amazed about how much I didn't know statistically until I explained that for me to see just the "tip-off" I'd have to stay up until Midnight ... and that if they wanted to see a Big East game they would have to leave work early !!!
A show would have less affect ... but I think that if it works for CES each and every year in Vegas, why can't it work for us ??? Stallion, you will recall I made that point in my other post about Vegas, so we agree that immature conduct is immature anywhere !!!
The most important aspect of my contention is that the Appliance Industry can no longer afford to allow some outside entity to run an Appliance Show because no one looks out for your own better than your own people !!! Let's face it, the industry is becoming more and more complicated to do the same calibre of business in ... it's high time we became proactive in our own interest to perpetuate our interests !!!
Submitted by Appliance Stallion on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 12:37pm.
This is exactly what we need . Everyone talks about their individual businesses needing to change or overhaul their model. We both think the model for KBIS needs to change. That would put focus on our great industry and change the mindset probably being more effective and product centered. I never could understand faucets and rugs being a part of what we were trying to accomplish.
Submitted by advisor on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 10:47pm.
Are we sure that the people that need to see appliances don't need to see all these other segments as well? Many of our products, dishwasher, washer, coffee makers, food disposers....these lines all have duel citizenship in both appliances and plumbing. KBIS is targeted at Designers. Do Kitchen Designers get their hands dirty in the bathroom? Is there any overlap in the Dealer space? Most Distributors do carry some plumbing products, usually sinks, maybe some faucets. What about the magazines, media, etc. Is "appliances" enough to pull that in? Luxury appliances are styling and design, driven by trends and fetishes for stainless steel, gimmicks etc. As much as I hate to say it, appliance decisions are made together with cabinets and hardware, and lighting.....those people. I think that these need to be at least considered before you storm the gates.
Submitted by Appliance Stallion on Tue, 03/31/2009 - 2:09pm.
I think dishwashers, coffee makers and disposers are fine. I think the object though is to have more of a centralized focus on the big ticket appliances so as not to dilute that focus. I also had the feeling that as a matter of cost considerations too much of a different product base is shown . Some people don't even look at the appliances and I certainly did not look at sinks and cabinets as a focus of our business model at the show. The challenge though is the designers who attend the show. Maybe if the KBIS people got smarter and laid out the footprint to put like products together instead of having to search the map that would help. A common sense approach to that layout may help and work well. It would certainly give attention to the different product groups giving each segment it's due respect and would satisfy the designers who are key to the show's success.
Submitted by Bermuda Bob on Tue, 03/31/2009 - 5:28pm.
I think that this year is an excellent example of K-Biz not being receptive to the needs of our industry ... The most important thing is that EVERY product available be exhibited, rather than working within the confines of what makes economic sense ... Just look @ the K-Biz magazine and their e-mailers - it's all centered around things dictated to by the designers who are handily taken care of by the cabinetry, etc. people . I honestly disagree that we need to cater to the designers as much as the other commodities do because I usually have had a much higher level of influence over what my clients purchase ... I am regularly called on to do that because my clients are comfortable that I will do my best to assist them in specifying the appliances that will meet their needs, skill level, and budget ... designers are, more often than not, interested in "the look" and not necessarily function !!!
Submitted by Appliance Stallion on Wed, 04/01/2009 - 1:03pm.
My world is the high end type of business and the designers are the key element. At some point a designer or someone who had a designer choose gets around to the high end group. That group has gotten more exclusive as this recession has gotten worse. It really now has the select group of people that existed pre 1992. The inflated housing market brought a whole new level of customers that are probably now having to downsize. I know some well to do people still buying and most of those people buy no matter what. I truly believe there will be some high end casualities in the brands. The consumer base will dictate that as people pull back to the mid range product which is not all that bad.We are probably migrating through into a transition period and it won't be clear for several more years. Maybe the designers will have less influence and the people like Whirlpool have it right. Offer a great product with some high end qualities for a reasonable price.You are making some good points Bob. The high end lifestyle will be pared back some and we should adjust our thinking on the show.
Submitted by Bermuda Bob on Wed, 04/01/2009 - 9:33pm.
Thanks, Stallion !!! I just found myself wondering out loud if the was an Industry Show and we duplicated the K-Biz attendee listing, converting it to an invitation, just how many Designers we'd see ??? My money sez that you'd get less than 20% !!!
Think about it, every time you see Kitchen & Bath type show open to the public, they have to use celebrities like "This Old House" personalities !!!
How often have you gone to K-Biz to find yourself approached numerous times by someone pushing the fact that they have someone from HGTV ??? I was standing next to one of those "celebrities" in Vegas two (2) years ago and had to ask the rep why all the ladies were swooning ... it was one of those celebrities ... all I could say was "Duh ???"
Now, here's my point, when was the last time you saw the HGTV annual report on K-Biz ??? I look for it every year and appliances are lucky if they get a modicum of attention !!! How is the Appliance Industry being represented ??? What TV medium to we have to showcase everything that is new, green, and innovative ??? THE ANSWER IS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE NONE !!!
So what do we do ??? We utilize the failure of K-Biz to make their show more attractive to the manufacturers that count and establish our own show ... get our own press ... get our own feature on places like HGTV ... and use all of this to demonstrate to the public all of the wonderful advancements our Industry is constantly making to be efficient, affordable, and meeting the wants and needs of the contemporary family ... well before they get into a store !!! We NEED to become pro-active ... we need to reach out and appeal to the consumer base ... and that only happens when we showcase ALL of what we have to offer !!!
Submitted by Appliance Stallion on Thu, 04/02/2009 - 4:38pm.
I like your idea. We set up two locations . One year Chicago ,one year Las Vegas. The last weekend in April. It avoids just about everything.Kitchen appliances only. I guess we all must define what that entails. Such as disposers,dishwashers for sure ,coffee makers ,etc.We get a master list of designers and manufacturers and follow your script. I have talked about what to call the group and the show . If we get together on this we can see how that looks. Maybe we do a quarterly magazine of sorts and give everyone some time to discuss breakthroughs, trends ,etc.Make it easy with no politics. Just a way to strengthen the high end as a whole to help focus on continued success.Articles with substance without compromising one's intellectual achievements or products.Be sensitive to the groups needs first.
just got my credentials
KBIS Badge came to the store today it included a Life Vest and a CD with the songThere's Got To Be A Morning After...
KBIS
Probably some sort of morning after pill to help you forget what you saw the day before. Atlanta will not be busy in May.
Dilbert in the Appliance Industry.
I think that Advisor has struck it rich with the cartoon.Maybe we call it. Dilbert the Lonely Designer. Cartoon Cooker. Appliance Appleplexy.Be creative.
Oh Dilbert or Albert..Get it ?
How about a cartoon we can use with cynical humor that addresses things in our industry with a smile ? Alvisor +Dilbert = Albert
Consolidate KBIS and IBIS
Most of the manufacturers and suppliers exhibiting at KBIS are involved in both the Remodeling segment and the New Construction segment. Each business segment has it's own trade show and these shows are separated by only a few months. The duplicated effort and expense required of exhibitors is prohibitive. These shows could easily be consolidated into one super-show held each year alternating between the east and west coast. This would not only relieve a huge expense burden, it would also provide a single venue for manufacturers to introduce new products. Attendance would not be an issue if suppliers and customers had just one super-show to budget for each year. Consolidate KBIS and IBIS and create the U.S. version of Domotechnica.
Perfect !!!
That is the best idea I have seen for quite some time. Covers all bias and cost issues and people would certainly pay attention and give their best at the show. Several years ago I went to a KBIS and just watched people for the first day. Everyone was talking but everyone listening was distracted by looking at everyone else while some people were talking to them. It appeared to be more of a social gathering for most. This should prevent most of that. Good thought Cohiba.
What if They Gave a Show and Nobody Came ???
K-Biz has lost it's way ... and for the Appliance Industry to not be the leader @ the show is a terrible miscalculation on their part ...
The craziest irony about K-Biz NOT going to Vegas is that there was a recent report on CNBC that noted that since Obama demonized Vegas, the hotels and conference centre have discounted their shows 40% to 60% just to keep them there !!! Even if K-Biz had been the flop it promises to be they could have done it for 40% to 60% less !!! Go figure ...
It's high time that the "Industry" dictate the terms of their show as opposed to "The Show" dictating the terms to the "Industry" !!!
K-Biz certainly risks irrelevance when all the no-shows are calculated !!!
Maybe it's time for an Appliance Industry Show if it's own ... run by it's members !!! I for one would be quick to volunteer !!!
East Coast Bias
In case you have not yet figured it out there is no good effort to bring KBIS west at all. It goes to Orlando, Atlanta , Chicago and once in a blue moon to Vegas. How about LA ,SanFrancisco ? Denver. The appliance people and KBIS are like ESPN. I once confronted Chris Berman at a golf tourney in a friendly way about how they report things about the West Coast. He did not know which way to turn. Most of you East/Central/Southern types need to realize that the West Coast has the 6th or 7th largest economy in the world by itself. Why , some of your products are even purchased in California.As for Vegas, you can attend the convention and act like normal human beings like any place else or act like idiots just like any place else.
How right you are !!!
Being from the east I am constantly amazed that everything is east coast oriented ... from TV to sports ... and the rest follow like puppy-dogs !!! Now, the time differential is responsible for most of that ... I remember being in Vegas for the UCLA-Arkansas Championship Game years ago and going to the Sports Book to watch the game ... I was met by other fans, naturally from the west coast ... they were amazed about how much I didn't know statistically until I explained that for me to see just the "tip-off" I'd have to stay up until Midnight ... and that if they wanted to see a Big East game they would have to leave work early !!!
A show would have less affect ... but I think that if it works for CES each and every year in Vegas, why can't it work for us ??? Stallion, you will recall I made that point in my other post about Vegas, so we agree that immature conduct is immature anywhere !!!
The most important aspect of my contention is that the Appliance Industry can no longer afford to allow some outside entity to run an Appliance Show because no one looks out for your own better than your own people !!! Let's face it, the industry is becoming more and more complicated to do the same calibre of business in ... it's high time we became proactive in our own interest to perpetuate our interests !!!
Right On
This is exactly what we need . Everyone talks about their individual businesses needing to change or overhaul their model. We both think the model for KBIS needs to change. That would put focus on our great industry and change the mindset probably being more effective and product centered. I never could understand faucets and rugs being a part of what we were trying to accomplish.
OK, Let's Get it Going !!!
OK, I'm on board ... I have the background, contacts, and understanding of the industry ... Put me in Coach !!!
Advisor......Time to Get Involved
Time help organize something Advisor. We are all in !!!! Me too.
Happy To But......
Are we sure that the people that need to see appliances don't need to see all these other segments as well? Many of our products, dishwasher, washer, coffee makers, food disposers....these lines all have duel citizenship in both appliances and plumbing.
KBIS is targeted at Designers. Do Kitchen Designers get their hands dirty in the bathroom? Is there any overlap in the Dealer space? Most Distributors do carry some plumbing products, usually sinks, maybe some faucets. What about the magazines, media, etc. Is "appliances" enough to pull that in?
Luxury appliances are styling and design, driven by trends and fetishes for stainless steel, gimmicks etc. As much as I hate to say it, appliance decisions are made together with cabinets and hardware, and lighting.....those people.
I think that these need to be at least considered before you storm the gates.
Advisor
I think dishwashers, coffee makers and disposers are fine. I think the object though is to have more of a centralized focus on the big ticket appliances so as not to dilute that focus. I also had the feeling that as a matter of cost considerations too much of a different product base is shown . Some people don't even look at the appliances and I certainly did not look at sinks and cabinets as a focus of our business model at the show. The challenge though is the designers who attend the show. Maybe if the KBIS people got smarter and laid out the footprint to put like products together instead of having to search the map that would help. A common sense approach to that layout may help and work well. It would certainly give attention to the different product groups giving each segment it's due respect and would satisfy the designers who are key to the show's success.
Don't Let K-Biz Decide ...
I think that this year is an excellent example of K-Biz not being receptive to the needs of our industry ... The most important thing is that EVERY product available be exhibited, rather than working within the confines of what makes economic sense ... Just look @ the K-Biz magazine and their e-mailers - it's all centered around things dictated to by the designers who are handily taken care of by the cabinetry, etc. people . I honestly disagree that we need to cater to the designers as much as the other commodities do because I usually have had a much higher level of influence over what my clients purchase ... I am regularly called on to do that because my clients are comfortable that I will do my best to assist them in specifying the appliances that will meet their needs, skill level, and budget ... designers are, more often than not, interested in "the look" and not necessarily function !!!
Designers
My world is the high end type of business and the designers are the key element. At some point a designer or someone who had a designer choose gets around to the high end group. That group has gotten more exclusive as this recession has gotten worse. It really now has the select group of people that existed pre 1992. The inflated housing market brought a whole new level of customers that are probably now having to downsize. I know some well to do people still buying and most of those people buy no matter what. I truly believe there will be some high end casualities in the brands. The consumer base will dictate that as people pull back to the mid range product which is not all that bad.We are probably migrating through into a transition period and it won't be clear for several more years. Maybe the designers will have less influence and the people like Whirlpool have it right. Offer a great product with some high end qualities for a reasonable price.You are making some good points Bob. The high end lifestyle will be pared back some and we should adjust our thinking on the show.
Would the Designers Really Come ???
Thanks, Stallion !!! I just found myself wondering out loud if the was an Industry Show and we duplicated the K-Biz attendee listing, converting it to an invitation, just how many Designers we'd see ??? My money sez that you'd get less than 20% !!!
Think about it, every time you see Kitchen & Bath type show open to the public, they have to use celebrities like "This Old House" personalities !!!
How often have you gone to K-Biz to find yourself approached numerous times by someone pushing the fact that they have someone from HGTV ??? I was standing next to one of those "celebrities" in Vegas two (2) years ago and had to ask the rep why all the ladies were swooning ... it was one of those celebrities ... all I could say was "Duh ???"
Now, here's my point, when was the last time you saw the HGTV annual report on K-Biz ??? I look for it every year and appliances are lucky if they get a modicum of attention !!! How is the Appliance Industry being represented ??? What TV medium to we have to showcase everything that is new, green, and innovative ??? THE ANSWER IS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE NONE !!!
So what do we do ??? We utilize the failure of K-Biz to make their show more attractive to the manufacturers that count and establish our own show ... get our own press ... get our own feature on places like HGTV ... and use all of this to demonstrate to the public all of the wonderful advancements our Industry is constantly making to be efficient, affordable, and meeting the wants and needs of the contemporary family ... well before they get into a store !!! We NEED to become pro-active ... we need to reach out and appeal to the consumer base ... and that only happens when we showcase ALL of what we have to offer !!!
Bermuda Bob
I like your idea. We set up two locations . One year Chicago ,one year Las Vegas. The last weekend in April. It avoids just about everything.Kitchen appliances only. I guess we all must define what that entails. Such as disposers,dishwashers for sure ,coffee makers ,etc.We get a master list of designers and manufacturers and follow your script. I have talked about what to call the group and the show . If we get together on this we can see how that looks. Maybe we do a quarterly magazine of sorts and give everyone some time to discuss breakthroughs, trends ,etc.Make it easy with no politics. Just a way to strengthen the high end as a whole to help focus on continued success.Articles with substance without compromising one's intellectual achievements or products.Be sensitive to the groups needs first.
Thinking.
I will give that some heavy thought this evening Bob. Stay tuned tomorrow.