Kbb Birmingham 2024, the UK’s dedicated kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms exhibition, has announced the highest visitor turnout in ten years, following the four-day event. Held at the NEC, the event took place from 3rd-6th March, attracting over 17,150 visitors, including over 7,000 retailers, who visited the 320 exhibitors from across 26 different categories on the show floor.
“We would like to thank all our colleagues in the KBB industry who have made this year’s event such a success. The show has reached new heights with a broader range of exhibitors than ever before, who have presented innovative, multi-faceted stands, appealing to a wide reach of audiences across different sectors. We are delighted by the positive feedback we’ve had from visitors and exhibitors alike.” Jon Johnston, kbb sales director.
Impressive Exhibitor Stands
Starting off the show on a high, the kbb Birmingham 2024 Stand Award Winners were announced at the Stand Awards on the afternoon of Day 1. A panel of industry experts were tasked with choosing from the exceptionally high calibre of exhibitor stands. The 2024 winners are:
- Best Kitchen & Bedroom over 30sqm – Caple
- Best Kitchen & bedroom under 30sqm – Quantum by System Six Kitchens
- Best Component stand – Formed
- Best Bathroom stand over 30sqm – Showerwall
- Best Bathroom stand under 30sqm – Decosan
The winners were presented with certificates to display on their stands for the duration of the event, in recognition of their impressive and creative displays at the show.
Gareth Hull, marketing manager, from award-winner Formed commented:
“kbb Birmingham has been a huge success for the Formed team. We presented 7 new Hendel & Hendel collections, as well as new innovations from Formed including the Aura bedroom accessories and Artis drawer system. We’ve welcomed a wide range of visitors to our stand and generated over 40% more leads than when we last took part in the event, so our team have made some great connections. We are delighted to have won the award for best component stand, which is testament to our team’s incredible work to communicate our brand vision to visitors at the show. We look forward to returning in 2026!”
KBB Industry United
Positive sentiments were echoed by supporting industry associations across the show floor.
The Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) provided an exclusive opportunity for the bathroom industry to gain valuable insights from its dedicated seminar talks programme. Hosted by Tom Reynolds, CEO of the BMA, the discussions provided insightful conversations across the four days, with talks from industry experts discussing a range of topics from innovative bathroom designs to emerging new trends:
“BMA was delighted to have an enthusiastic audience for the BMA’s Seminar Talks at kbb Birmingham, with some fantastic insights and expert advice shared by our panellists. The show has grown significantly and definitely had a buzz for 2024. The stand builds from the brands present were very impressive and a great form of motivation for what’s in store for the year ahead.”
Platform for KBB Innovation
With over 320 exhibitors, the outstanding new product launches presented across the show floor did not disappoint, providing a varied and exciting display of the latest innovations in the sector.
British bathroom manufacturer, VADO launched its innovative new modular collection, Cameo. The contemporary and stylish range includes bathroom furniture, vanities, furniture handles, basins, radiators and mirrors and a co-ordinating collection of bathroom brassware and accessories, for affordable luxury.
Exhibiting for the retail marketplace for the first time, premium ceramics brand, Bocchi displayed a brand-new collection of unique and creative basins and accessories, including its standout piece the ‘Strata Ross Lovegrove basin’ in fuzzy peach – the Pantone colour of the year. Darren Paxford, sales director, Bocchi UK Ltd comments:
“We’ve had a fantastic 4 days here at kbb Birmingham, showcasing our Bocchi collection and we’ve had such great feedback on our products. It’s an exciting time for us as we’re introducing our brand into the retail marketplace, so it’s been the ideal opportunity to meet new connections as we build our network of customers and develop long term, collaborative relationships.”
Driving Sustainability Forwards
As kbb Birmingham’s Sustainability Partner, The Used Kitchen Company (TUKC) promoted the reuse and resale of pre-owned and ex display kitchens, extending their lifespan and reducing waste. TUKC actively encouraged retailers to promote the concept of recycling their client’s old kitchens, through POS material and offering incentives to showrooms. They also offered the opportunity for exhibitors to sell their display kitchens from the show floor.
Kbb Birmingham focus on promoting sustainability and working collaboratively with its exhibitors, partners, and community to lead the way in driving positive change. ‘Better Stands’ is the show’s landmark campaign to reduce the waste that stands and booths at exhibitions can create, and many exhibitors featured reuseable and modular elements to their stands that can be repurposed for other events.
Innovation Awards
The fourth and final day of the show (6th March) saw the much-anticipated winners of the 2024 Innovation Awards, supported by Blum, announced. The award scheme recognises the most forward-thinking and technically advanced products within the KBB sector and is one of the most hotly anticipated events of the show. Architect and interior design liaison at Blum, Amanda Hughes commented:
“Once again, the standard of entries was incredibly high and those shortlisted really reflect that spirit of creativity and innovation that we’ve come to expect at the kbb Innovation Awards. These brilliant solutions demonstrate ideas that can really make a difference across the KBB industry.”
The 10 shortlisted finalists were displayed in an inspiring showcase across the specially designed Innovation Zone, providing visitors the chance to experience the innovations first hand and vote for their favourite.
The Judge’s Choice was awarded to Space-Plug Limited, for their Space-Plug Evolution, an adjustable spacer fixing that manufacturers can use to mimic the shortening of side panels. The solution saves material and makes smaller, lighter cabinets that installers can fit faster, easier and more accurately than ever before.
“It’s so rewarding to see the KBB community together at the show – networking, collaborating and celebrating this exciting industry that we’re part of. The stands were incredibly impressive, which is testament to the hard work and creativity of our exhibitors and partners. I’d like to say a huge thank you to all our visitors and exhibitors for the amazing buzz they brought to the show floor – we look forward to welcoming them back to kbb Birmingham 2026!” summarises Sam Fisher, event director of kbb Birmingham.
Take a tour through this year’s kbb Birmingham by watching the exciting drone footage of the show floor here.
kbb Birmingham will return to the NEC 1 – 4 March 2026 – keep an eye on the event social media channels for updates, news, trends and more.
