Every major industry has its conventions and trade shows, but nobody does it better than the National Association of Homebuilders. The NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) is the largest light construction exposition in the world.

Dave Clements, CEO of Lasso Data Systems with Charlie and one of Lasso’s tech engineers

If you like numbers, here are just a few from IBS 2014 in Las Vegas:

• 1,700 exhibitors.
• 75,000 attendees from 19 countries.
• 650,000 square feet of convention floor space.
• Over 150,000 hotel room-nights.

I’m still waiting on estimated numbers of five star restaurant meals, taxi rides, slot machine jackpots, casino floor shows, and rounds of golf. With attendance the size of a small town, the IBS definitely makes an impact.

National Sales Trainer Jason Forrest and Jamie Humes of Great Traditions Development share the excitement of Opening Night with Robi and Charlie Simms

The theme for IBS 2014 was “Expect More.” When Charlie and his eldest son Robi hit the convention floor, they expected more, and they weren’t disappointed.

This was Robi’s second convention experience. His first was in 2000 at age 12. The ISB was held in Houston that year, so the boys managed a trip to NASA as well. Charlie’s first convention trip, also at age 12, was with his father Charles, and was also in Houston. Charlie remembers attending the NFL All Star Game in the newly constructed Houston Astrodome, when Leroy Kelly of the Cleveland Browns was the star of the game.

2014 marked the first time that IBS and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) – two extraordinary events – were co-located in Las Vegas.  Here are just a few of the highlights from the first annual Design & Construction Week 2014:

• General Stan McChrystal, a four-star general and the former commander of the U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, headlined the Opening Ceremonies on Tuesday.
• The Official IBS House Party at the Hard Rock Café on the Vegas Strip.
• More than 100 education sessions on topics that included 50+ housing, sales and marketing and high-performance building.
• The New American Home 2014 – NAHB’s show home –with its cutting-edge efficiency, technology and sustainability, all set in a contemporary style home with a stunning desert view.
• Closing out the Show, four-time Grammy winner Pat Benatar gave a fantastically rockin’ performance during Thursday evening’s IBS Spike Concert.

Robi and Charlie relax after a long day on the exhibit floor.

A lot has changed in our industry over the last 4 decades. Charlie and Robi attended seminars on sustainable products, green housing, market trends, community planning and more. But with all the amazing advances in building materials and design, one element hasn’t changed: every product, design or innovation focuses on improving the quality of life for the homeowner. Father and son came away from the IBS with a wealth of new ideas and possibilities for the next generation of quality Simms homes.