If anyone needs a reminder of what controlled chaos looks like, just attend the next International Builders Show (IBS)! As a member of the Conventions and Meetings Committee at NAHB, I get a peek behind the curtain to view the unbelievable coordination required to produce a show that size. At the recent IBS in Las Vegas, there were 12,629 registered exhibitors and, with the combination of IBS and the Kitchen and Bath Show, we had over 55,000 registered attendees! That's a lot of people to house, feed, and transport in a short period of time, and a huge logistical challenge during set-up and tear-down.
It certainly makes me appreciate the smaller scale of our upcoming Builders Summit and Expo at the Cox Convention Center, August 26-27 in Oklahoma City! I am really excited about the addition of the trade show this year, and I think it will be a great resource for Oklahoma builders and vendors.
If you are a vendor, you will have no better opportunity to get your product in front of over 400 builders and decision-makers from across the state. This is the show where you can have quality contact with the people that can specify your products on Oklahoma jobsites!
If you are a builder, you will get to see some of the latest products and business-support information in one easily-accessible location, just a short drive from your office. Couple that with our usual timely and relevant educational seminars, and the 2015 Oklahoma Builder's Summit and Expo is well worth your time! Remember, we expect the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission to recommend adoption of their amended 2015 International Residential Code later this year, which means it could be adopted statewide in early 2016. We expect to have educational tracks at the Summit reviewing the significant changes, so make plans for your superintendents and subcontractors to attend, as well.
HBA members across the state will get the first crack at sponsorships and booth registration, and if they are not all sold, we will open it up to non-members. Please don't wait until the last minute, as we expect to sell out quickly. You should be receiving your registration form by email any time now, but make sure to let us know if you don't receive one within the next week. We will probably begin attendee registration in late Spring.
It's gonna be a GREAT year!"