Beyond Appearance: A Practical Workshop for Surface Finish Selection in Kitchen & Bath Design

This 50-minute session explores how active involvement in professional associations can transform careers, create leadership opportunities, and accelerate long-term growth within the design and building industries.

Through real-world experiences spanning remodeling, kitchen & bath design, manufacturing, sales leadership, and association leadership roles, attendees will learn how participation in organizations such as NKBA, IDS, AIA, and ASID can expand professional visibility, strengthen relationships, develop leadership skills, and create opportunities that may never emerge through traditional career paths alone.

This session will provide practical strategies for becoming more involved, maximizing association participation, building meaningful industry relationships, and leveraging volunteer leadership into personal and professional advancement.

Attendees will leave with actionable ideas for building stronger industry connections, elevating their professional presence, and creating long-term career momentum through active engagement within the design community.

Tariffs. Interest rates. Inflation. Global instability. The headlines have been relentless—and so has their effect on homeowner confidence.

Whether they were planning to buy their first home, move up to a larger one, or finally tackle the kitchen or master bath they have been putting off, millions of homeowners have pressed pause. But how long is that pause, really? And what would it take to end it?  This session presents original research, debuted at KBIS, on the psychology of the delayed homeowner.

We go beyond measuring hesitation to understand it: which specific economic conditions are doing the most damage, how homeowners are thinking about the future, and, most critically, which signals they are watching for that would give them the confidence to move forward. We also look at how professionals on the ground are reading this moment and maintaining relationships with clients who are not ready to pull the trigger today but will be. The findings offer a clear-eyed picture of where demand is going and how industry professionals can position themselves to capture it when the window reopens.

This presentation focuses on three key areas of outdoor kitchen design: the existing landscape, the architectural style, and the human element. Learn how to create sophisticated, functional spaces that prioritize client comfort and ensure long-term durability.

Attendees will gain actionable strategies for designing sophisticated and functional outdoor kitchens that blend seamlessly with the natural landscape and surrounding architecture. They'll learn how to prioritize client comfort, incorporate key human-centric design elements, and ensure lasting performance in outdoor cooking and entertaining spaces.