We are kicking off 2022 with a bang! The two greatest shows in the US for Luxury Appliances start the same week in early February. What shows am I referring too? Well, of course Nationwide Marketing Group’s PrimeTime in Phoenix, but also the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show! Now, this is based solely on my opinion but let me dive into why I am so excited about both upcoming shows.

Let’s start with PrimeTime, February 5-8 in Phoenix. PrimeTime is the nation’s largest buying, selling, educational and networking show for independent retailers. Just over a year ago at Nationwide we expanded into the Luxury Appliance vertical. With the overnight changes in the shopper’s journey, the increased national competition working hard to steal share from our members, and the lack of insights into this business segment we have an obligation — and the capabilities — to solve these headwinds for our members and strategic vendor partners.

Last August at PrimeTime, our first in-person show in over a year, we had more Luxury Vendors participate than ever before. Not only did we physically have more vendors at our show, but we also had more touchpoints for our members to connect in-person with the leadership teams from those vendor partners. One of the most exciting opportunities was with our newly created Luxury University, an initiative designed to help educate our channel and to ensure that Nationwide members are the leading experts on Luxury Appliances in each of their respective marketplaces. The inaugural format was a classroom setting with multiple presentations:

• • Karen Brandon (Sr. Marketing Manager for Luxury Appliances at NMG) shared insights into the psychographics of the Luxury consumer.
  • I had the opportunity to discuss our luxury strategy for members and how that differs from our core appliance brands.
  • In addition, we had executive leadership from our strategic vendor partners, Monogram and Fisher & Paykel discuss the importance of merchandising their brands for success in the future.

It was a lot of fun and very insightful, which is the reason why we decided that Luxury University will live on as an in-person event at every PrimeTime moving forward!

Luxury University will always be focused on education but will look a little different in Phoenix. We are taking it out of the classroom and moving it onto the Expo floor. I believe we all learn better from experience — also who wants to sit through another PowerPoint presentation? Our attendees will immerse themselves in several Luxury Experiences that will better connect them with our strategic vendor partners.

Our Luxury Appliance focus during PrimeTime will continue to grow, evolving into the greatest opportunity in our industry for independent retails and Luxury Appliance vendors to connect. And it will only compliment KBIS and the incredible experience that show provides.

Speaking of which — I am really excited for KBIS this year. It will have been two years since the last in-person show, and in those two years we’ve seen record-setting investments made by consumers in their kitchens and baths. At Nationwide our Luxury Appliance business continues to grow at a record pace and we expect this trend to continue well into 2022. With all of this in mind, here is what I look forward to accomplishing at KBIS:

• • Connect and interact with the designer community
  • Meet with Luxury Appliance Vendors and experience their new innovations
  • Understand emerging trends to make sure our members are ahead of the curve
  • Seek out any emerging technologies or brands that provide solutions for our members

There is a lot packed into the experience mentioned above, and to add to it I’ll also tackle the IBS (International Builder Show) while in Orlando. If you are paying attention, that means three shows in four days!

There will be a lot of great information to unpack after this week and I look forward to sharing out what I learn with our members. 2022 is kicking off with a bang; lots of time spent with members, reconnecting with old industry friends, learning, and setting the stage for another incredible year in the Luxury Appliance business for Nationwide Marketing Group Members!

This article was first published in the February 2022 issue of Retail Observer.