International Builders’ Show Features Technology

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) welcomed guests from around the world to the annual International Builders’ Show (IBS) during Design & Construction Week, held January 19-21 in Las Vegas.

Those in attendance had the chance to walk through exhibitor booths at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where they were able to preview new products, check out new innovations and discover some of the hottest trends in home building. The show highlighted things the tech-savvy consumer wants, like smart home technology, previewing home design through Virtual Reality and customizing the home with unique building techniques.

 An Interactive Experience

Many vendors at IBS made it a point to find ways to make their booths unique and draw in attendees. To do this, they offered several features, from utilizing technology, testing out products and even inviting those walking by to compete in interactive games.

Paint manufacturers kept attendees on their toes by inviting them to play color-focused games. At the Sherwin-Williams booth, people had a chance to relive their childhood playing a memory-based game called the Color Match Challenge.

PPG Paints focused on color and paint with a touch-screen quiz called “The Voice of Color® Color Game.” Attendees could take the quiz to calculate their “Color Story,” which picked out different elements they prefer in images to decide what color scheme a person would like.

At the Lowe’s ProServices booth, people could watch and participate in a touch screen game similar to the slot machines found in Las Vegas casinos. At times, a line of attendees would wait to take their turn and see if they’d win a prize. Or people could walk around the corner to compete in the DEWALT Challenge, where they were able to test out power tools such as drills.

Technology Takes Over

In addition to games with vendor awarded prizes, many booths made technology a top priority. There were several booths that featured virtual reality, which seems to be the next way people can view a home or home layout without having to leave their seat.

One vendor that was drawing attention from attendees was Cadsoft, a developer of Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions for the residential building market. At the show, Cadsoft introduced virtual reality, an upcoming feature for Envisioneer software. Individuals could put on goggles and be instantly transported into a virtual home.

Hanley Wood, a real estate media firm focused on commercial and residential construction also brought virtual reality to the convention center. They allowed visitors to put on goggles and take a virtual tour of a home designed for millennials.

 

In addition to a few booths featuring virtual reality, several vendors were able to show off products that incorporate technology throughout the home. As smart home technology continues to evolve and establish its presence in the home building industry, manufacturers are looking for ways they can add tech to their products.

At the Kwikset booth, attendees could take a look at some of the latest innovations from the company, including a line of doorknobs featuring antimicrobial protection and the Kwikset Kevo Touch-to-Open Smart Lock, which uses an app on a smart phone or key fob to open a locked door. Another innovation Kwikset showed off was the Re-Key Smart Key Technology, which allows homeowners to rekey their own set of locks.

For golf lovers who didn’t have time to hit the links in Las Vegas, the aboutGolf PGA TOUR Indoor Golf Simulator was a popular attraction. Attendees had the chance to grab a golf club and give it a swing. The company has been creating new technology to improve the game indoors for over 25 years.

Read this article from Hardware Retailing to learn more about Design & Construction Week.