Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) Wins Greatest Trade Show Award from Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 Grand Awards

Live Design International Wins Slam Dunk Award: Best New Idea and StreamTV Show Wins Best Attendee Acquisition Model

NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- B2B events and media company Forge announces today that Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), owned by NKBA and produced by Forge, has been named Greatest Trade Show of 2025 at Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 Grand Awards. North America’s largest trade show dedicated to kitchen and bath design, KBIS combined record scale with thought-leadership programming and new ways to reach the industry, including its first Podcast Studio and Ambassador Program.

KBIS highlights include:

• Scale with momentum: Attendance grew 28% since 2019. KBIS drew over 650 exhibitors across 500,000 net square feet, anchoring Design & Construction Week (DCW), which brought together 120,000+ professionals from 165 countries.
• Reach that outlives the event: The first-year Podcast Studio posted a 10% engagement rate, the highest of any program in the 2025 show cycle. The new Ambassador Program extended reach to more than 600,000 across platforms.
• Thought leadership at the core: NEXTStage featured 70 speakers across 18 sessions and drew 220+ speaker submissions, more than double the prior cycle. Every LUXURY Lounge session was standing-room only.
• Media impact: The show generated more than 1.8 billion media impressions. The redesigned Best of KBIS Awards alone produced 100+ media placements.
• A qualified, loyal audience: 71% of attendees hold verified purchasing authority, 87% were satisfied with their experience and 84% of exhibitors said they were likely to return.
  

Live Design International (LDI) the premier event for live entertainment technology and design professionals, won the Slam Dunk Award: Best New Idea of 2025. LDI won for transforming education into live entertainment through the Inaugural VJ Challenge.

StreamTV Show, the streaming industry’s fastest-growing event, won in the Best Attendee Acquisition Model category. StreamTV Show won for its reinvention of event marketing through persona-driven audience acquisition.

“We’re honored that the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show has been recognized with the Greatest Trade Show Award,” said Paul Miller, CEO of Forge. “KBIS is owned by NKBA, and we’re proud to be their strategic partner and the producer of this prestigious event. We are equally proud that Live Design International received the Slam Dunk Award: Best New Idea award and StreamTV Show won the Best Attendee Acquisition Model award.”

Miller added, “This recognition reflects the incredible work of our teams who continually challenge themselves to create experiences that go beyond traditional events. By bringing people together in meaningful ways, fostering connections and building communities that extend well beyond the show floor, they've helped set a new standard for what our industry can achieve. I'm grateful for their creativity, passion and commitment to delivering exceptional experiences for our customers.”

Pizza Expo Columbus and ClimaTech were finalists in the awards program.

Additionally, Linette Dao, Senior Marketing Director, Industrial Group and Alexandra Lombardo, Events Operations Manager, Event Performance Group were honored as 2026 TSE Women to Watch.

About Forge
Forge is a leading global B2B events and media company, connecting buyers and sellers across high-value industries through live events, trusted media brands, digital products and year-round communities. Powered by first-party data, technology and deep market expertise, Forge helps businesses discover opportunities, build the right relationships and stay engaged well beyond the event itself. It is a company guided by a single purpose, Moving Markets.

For more information, visit forgelive.com.

Media Contact
Kate Spellman
Chief Commercial Officer
Forge
kate.spellman@forgelive.com