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Last week was the NAHB International Builder Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. In 2024, I took the year off from attending – probably the first time I have missed the show in over three decades. I’m really not sure how many shows I’ve attended with the four different architectural firms I’ve been a part of (two of which were my own), but my first time was in the 80s. It was great to see so many industry friends – many of whom I only see at IBS.

But the thing I love the most about attending is having the opportunity to share my passion and knowledge of our great industry. This year, I presented “Boomer Home Design for Living a Long and Happy Life” along with Deborah Blake from the Ipsum Group.

We presented at 4pm on Wednesday and knew we were delaying our audience’s Happy Hour plans. We ended up with a decent sized audience from a variety of geographic locations and backgrounds. I was pleased that we had both production and custom builders in the room as both build for Boomers. We also had several designers in the room.

We received great questions at the end of the presentation – yes, despite happy hour calling, they stayed until the end!

Meaningful Connections

But one builder came up to me with the most amazing comment and compliment. It is the kind of stuff that makes your day and confirms why I speak at IBS – despite not being a fan of Las Vegas. My new best friend said she has been coming to the builder show for 27 years and that I was her favorite speaker. She always seeks out my programs and loves how my floor plans and images convey the concept or lesson.

Needless to say – I am still floating on cloud nine after that comment! Housing design DOES matter, and I strive to convey my passion, knowledge, and experience every day with our clients in our design work and with our weekly blogs. Conventions can be exhausting, but nothing energizes me like the opportunity to continue sharing my passion and learn from other great leaders in the industry.

With that in mind, I have decided to write a book. There – I’ve put it out into the ether. Now I have to follow through. No pressure!

Fun stuff from IBS

To make Las Vegas more palatable, I stayed this year at the Westin – which is a nonsmoking, non-gambling hotel. The hotel chain is focused on wellness and has addressed beautifully many of the wellness issues in our speech including clean air and the importance of sleep. For better sleep they provided black out drapes, chamomile tea, and lavender essential oil bedside. The blackout drapes were an important feature as I had a direct view of the sphere – which was awesome – but very bright.

I visited only a few pre-selected booths this year including but not limited to Kohler and Hearth and Home. Thank you, Kohler, for allowing me to share the amazing collection of grab bars in various styles, colors, and finishes in my speech. At Hearth and Home’s booth, I was floored by their new electric fireplace that has the look, warmth, and sound of a real fire without smoke.

And you can change the image of the fire and the logs.

All of which is great in the winter but in the summer months, you can have a beautiful image of lit logs without the heat.

IBS 2026

I’m thrilled that IBS will be coming back to Orlando one final time. That will make it so much easier to get to and certainly less expensive. I hope to see many of my readers there!