kbb Birmingham 2020: five products we loved on day one

What a first day it’s been at kbb Birmingham 2020! The NEC was thronged with exhibitors, buyers and visitors all eager to see the latest designs, innovations and trends in the industry. Coronavirus fears may have forced the delay or cancellation of expositions across the world, but they certainly didn’t cast a pall over a lively opening day for the UK’s biggest kbb trade show.

The kbbdaily and ek&bbusiness team were on hand, trying to see as much of the show as possible - a pretty tall order, given there were literally hundreds of stands in the halls.

While each stand has its own unique offering, exploring the show today, one general trend that stood out was how each stand interpreted this year’s theme of individuality.

For instance, Häfele’s enormous stand wound around a timeline of the company’s history - a fitting theme as the firm celebrates its 40th anniversary in the UK. Meanwhile, Fisher & Paykel’s stand paid tribute to its New Zealand heritage, serving kawakawa tea, a traditional Maori health tonic made with lemongrass and ginger.

In addition to roaming the halls, we were also manning our own stand, where visitors could learn more about our brands, subscribe to ek&bbusiness magazine and join the mailing list for kbbdaily’s unmissable daily email newsletter.

We’ll be on stand K133 for the rest of the show, so please do come along and sign up to the magazine and newsletter - or just stop by to say hello!

Here are a few of the things we loved on day one. Let us know your favourites by tweeting us at @kbbdaily.

Bora showcased its latest cooktop extraction systems with a series of live cookery demonstrations taking place throughout the day. Designed to eliminate the need for large overhead extractors, the ceramic hobs with downdraft extraction systems draw in vapour and odours before they can circulate into the kitchen.

Guests were invited to try the Virtual Worlds 4D Theatre for themselves on stand F100, experiencing the immersive technology that allows consumers to step into a fully-customisable bathroom or kitchen and experience it for themselves, even opening drawers or turning on taps.

RAK Ceramics debuted its new Feeling Collection today at the show. Initially introduced as a line of shower trays, the collection now features basins in soft putty tones including cappuccino and olive green.

Colour was a prominent theme of the day, with brands such as RAK Ceramics and Victoria + Albert showcasing bold and bright furniture, fixtures and appliances - but few are as bold as 1810 Company’s rainbow array of hose colours.

Fisher & Paykel showcased their touch screen ovens, which can guide users through a series of classic recipes step by step. Containing a probe, they operate by monitoring temperature rather than time, so meat is perfectly cooked each time.