The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association (KBSA) has confirmed that its next annual conference will take place on May 13, 2027, as it is forgoing its usual gathering this year to launch a new programme of regional events instead.
The KBSA usually holds its annual conference in either September or October, which also takes place alongside its KBSA Designer Awards. When the conference returns in 2027, the organisation has confirmed it will once again be held at the Belfry Hotel & Resort in the Midlands.
In the meantime, the KBSA says its new regional events launching in 2026 will “take the association directly into the heart of the communities where its members operate”. The organisation hopes that the regional format will help generate more “locally relevant conversations” while focusing closer on “the specific commercial landscape facing retailers in different parts of the country”.
In addition, the KBSA says the regional format will mean more direct, frequent and meaningful contact with the organisation, than what a single annual conference has been able to provide in the past.
“The decision reflects a clear-eyed look at the industry calendar,” says Richard Hibbert, KBSA chair. “The autumn has become increasingly congested, with major new product launches, international trade exhibitions in Germany and the critical run-up to the Christmas trading season all competing for retailers’ time and attention.”
Hibbert continued: “Factoring in holiday schedules and the general pressures many businesses face during that period, the Board concluded that a spring date offers a significantly stronger commercial proposition. It allows us to bring members and partners together at a time when engagement is high and planning for the year ahead remains very much in focus.”
Although dates and venues for the 2026 regional events have not yet been finalised, the KBSA says it plans to announce more details “very shortly”.