Each year the International Builders Show never fails to amaze. The National Association of Home Builders estimates that, again, attendance will top 100,000 and a record will be set for exhibit booths at about 1,800—with 450 new exhibitors this year.

In pre-event news releases, the NAHB had some fun with the sheer size of the event; for example, likening walking the show floor to walking through every square foot of the landmark 77-story Chrysler Building in New York City. At last year’s event, it says, the equivalent of 2 1/2-miles of hot dogs and sausages were sold along with 75,000 slices of bread (enough to span nearly six miles); 2,000 pounds of salad; 3,000 pounds of potato chips; and more than 6,000 gallons of beverages (equivalent to the amount of gasoline needed to fuel a car for 13 years).

With all the excitement and fun there is to have at the IBS (receptions, drawings, games, celebrities, etc.) there also is a serious side. Builders and their affiliates will be able to choose from more than 290 educational sessions and have the opportunity to earn credit toward a professional designation.

And then there are the exhibits featuring the latest cutting-edge products, services, designs and technologies available to the home building community. The suppliers’ exhibits cover more than 300 categories of products ranging across every aspect of the residential and light commercial construction fields—and one of those categories will be storm protection.

It would be all too easy for storm protection products to get lost in that crowd. But don’t bet on it.

With the most devastating hurricane in U.S. history only 18 months behind us and rebuilding efforts still ongoing in coastal areas all along the Southeast, builders, contractors and state, county and city code officials will be looking for better ways to build safe and protect their clients and citizens.

Storm protection products tend to fall into three categories: opening coverings (storm shutters and screens), windows and doors (from impact-resistant glazing to reinforced garage doors), and building materials (water-proof foundations, performance siding and wind-proof roofing). We tried to highlight a few of this year’s exhibitors featuring storm protection products in this month’s cover story—there are others, and there will be more by the time the show opens February 7 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

Be prepared. It’s good to have a plan of attack before entering this show. After all, you don’t want to get lost among the attendees whose number will rival a city the size of Boulder, CO!

Howard & Kerri

Howard Shingle EDITOR

Kerri Caldwell PUBLISHER