Why You Should be Aware of the NKBA and HPMA Strategic Alliance

Upon hearing the news that the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and High Point Market Authority (HPMA) announced a strategic alliance between their organizations and their respective flagship events, my immediate reaction was something along the lines of, ‘Hm, I’m surprised this is the first time two of the largest organizations representing the kitchen and bath industry and home furnishings industry decided to link up.’

While not explicitly and directly tied to the world of custom integration, this is a bit of news that every CI out there—and the organizations representing them—should pay attention to for a number of reasons.

First, consider this: While there may not be a direct tie back to the home automation space today, NKBA owns and operates that little show known as KBIS—the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show. That event happens to be produced by Emerald Expositions, the same Emerald Expositions that also owns and produces CEDIA Expo. There are already a number of tie-ins between KBIS and CEDIA Expo, so it would be safe to assume that as NKBA and HPMA explore ways to interject their content and brands into each others’ events, they’ll look to a show like CEDIA Expo, which does play heavily within all of these spaces, for additional exposure and crossover.

For those unfamiliar, HPMA is the official sponsor and organizer of the twice-annual High Point Market show held in High Point, North Carolina. It’s considered the largest home furnishings trade show in the world. The common thread between HPMA and NKBA, and the nexus for their partnership, is centered around connecting the design community with the tools and resources they need to be successful in the respective disciplines.

Sound familiar?

Getting closer and sharing resources with the architect, designer, and builder communities has been an aspiration held within the custom integration space as well over the past decade or more.

“Our partnership with High Point Market Authority represents a powerful alignment between two organizations committed to inspiring, empowering, and supporting the interior design community,” Bill Darcy, Global President and CEO of NKBA | KBIS, said in a statement announcing the partnership. “At NKBA, we’ve seen kitchen and bath design trends expand their influence across the entire home, driving new ideas and inspiration for the broader interiors industry. Through this alliance with High Point Market Authority, we’re excited to share NKBA’s unique brand experiences, educational resources, and foster business-driving connections that add value to the design community as a whole.”

This isn’t the first time that the two organizations have worked together either. NKBA had a presence at the 2018 High Point Market, and they worked together as recently as this past Fall to bring an NKBA pop-up design experience to the streets of High Point.

It’s clear, then, that they’ve been working towards this for some time. But I certainly can appreciate the approach they’ve taken, testing the waters to see if there’s not only a need, but a vested interest in a broader relationship between the members and supporters of both groups.

“We are different but the same. NKBA is an association that’s looking to bring value to its members. [HPMA is] a market—but at the same time, we kept coming back to ‘This is good for the industry,’” Tammy Covington, president and CEO of HPMA, told Business of Home. “It made sense to come out and say: We’re interested in working together, and ultimately our goal is that both groups are better off in the end.”

The Language Gap

And to that end, it feels like there’s momentum swelling; an opportunity exists for the custom integration channel to take a similar approach and more closely align itself with these luxury, in-home design professionals. 

I heard it said somewhere recently that integrators and designers are not too different in what they’re ultimately trying to accomplish. Both work with their clients to elevate their in-home experience. One happens to use technology with a splash of design. The other takes their design eye to everything and will occasionally infuse a little tech. They’re two disciplines with the same goal in mind, they just happen to speak a different language—and that can get confusing.

Rather than continue getting frustrated by the lack of understanding and comprehension between them, it feels like there’s no better time than now to sit down across from one another and try to learn to communicate better so that both sides can help lift each other up.

HPMA’s Covington said it perfectly. “We are different but the same.” If kitchen and bath professionals can find a way to effectively align with furniture makers, so too can a custom integrator. Rather than foster this idea that tech and design can’t coexist, it would behoove all industries involved to get on the same page and learn to coexist in a world where luxury consumers want the latest tech, but in a way that’s sophisticated, well tailored to their unique wants and needs, and designed in a way that’s unobtrusive and perhaps even somewhat beautiful.