Mark Conacher: InstallerSHOW 2026 showed us it's time for the industry to unite

Mark Conacher, CEO of consultancy KBB Momentum, reveals how getting behind InstallerSHOW and building on the sense of community it is successfully creating can only be a good thing for the kitchen and bathroom industry.

Another InstallerSHOW is now behind us, and for me, this one definitely felt like a significant step forward. The show brought together a broad section of various skilled trades and has grown far beyond its original plumbing and heating roots. But more importantly, it felt stronger around the community it continues to create.

For those that don’t know, InstallerSHOW came from the world of Installer magazine, with deep roots in plumbing, heating and HVAC. Over the years, it has built a strong community, all around the people who do the actual work, not just the products they fit. It’s a place where tradespeople can see new technology, learn new skills, meet brands and reconnect with people in their industry who understand the reality of the work that happens onsite and in people's homes.

This year, along with the recently acquired Painting & Decorating Show and the Professional Woodworking Expo co-located alongside it, the wider ambition is impossible to miss. InstallerSHOW is no longer just a trade show serving one part of the trades. It feels like a gathering place for skilled people across building and construction, from plumbing, heating and electrics, to carpentry, joinery, kitchens, bathrooms and decorating.

I think that’s something worth celebrating. Every trade is different, but the need for better skills, safer working practices, stronger businesses and more people coming through is shared. The understanding that a good tradesperson is about more than turning up with a van and a tool bag. It’s about skill, problem-solving, and pride in the finished job.

What InstallerSHOW has created within the plumbing and heating industry is something other sectors can learn from with the platform they have been given. It offers installers a stage and has made room for ambassadors, mentors, award winners and people willing to share what they know. It is showing that an installer can be respected for more than the job they do day to day.

In 2024, when kitchens and bathrooms first became part of the InstallerSHOW, I was beyond excited. I’ve always felt that kitchen and bathroom installation deserved a bigger platform. This year, for the first time, I could genuinely feel the early foundations of a community of kitchen and bathroom installers beginning to take shape. It wasn’t one single moment. It was the overall energy of the place. There were more installers in the audience and more familiar faces around the Kitchen Fitter Arena.

National brands and retailers were there alongside independents, manufacturers, suppliers and installers. Brand ambassadors were talking to visitors, people were gathering around them, and real conversations were happening around tools, business, marketing and the reality of working as a tradesperson.

Community is not created by a stage or a stand. InstallerSHOW can create the platform, but it takes people across the industry to use it. It takes manufacturers who want to hear from the people who fit their products, retailers who understand that installation is not simply the last part of a sale, and installers prepared to share experience and support one another.

For me, one of the strongest parts of the Kitchen Fitter Arena was listening to genuine industry talent being given the space to speak honestly. I had the privilege to share the stage with Emily Kitchin and Victoria Pirozzolo, 2 young kitchen and carpentry professionals. They spoke openly about mistakes, difficult jobs and what they had learned along the way. They talked about finding their own way of working, building their businesses and taking responsibility for a job. That honesty is why others will listen. Emily and Victoria should be celebrated, not simply because they are young women in a male-dominated part of the industry, but because they are good tradespeople who are building good businesses.

The fact that they are visible matters too. A young person, especially a young woman, can watch them online, see them at a show, hear them speak about the difficult parts as well as the wins, and think: I could do that. If they can do this, perhaps there is a place for me, too.

This is where the discussion about attracting people to the trades needs to be more thoughtful. I spoke at the show about market, message and media. We need to be clear about who we are trying to reach, what we want them to understand and where they will actually see the message. The people we hope will join this industry are not reading trade magazines or standing at a merchant counter at 7 in the morning. They are on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and whatever comes next. They listen to people they can relate to and watch people whose lives look possible to them.

That’s why visible, credible ambassadors matter. They help make being a tradesperson feel real, attractive and achievable. We can’t pretend that working in the trades is easy. It takes hard graft, years of learning and the willingness to keep learning. But it can also offer a skill for life, it can offer independence, purpose, running your own business and a career you can be proud of.

InstallerSHOW is becoming the place where that message is clearly shown. I’m excited about what is starting to happen in kitchen and bathroom installation. The green shoots are there. More people are attending, more conversations are happening, and more brands are beginning to understand the value of working with installers who have earned trust with their peers. Most importantly, installers are beginning to see that they are part of something bigger than the next job.

There is still a lot that can be done. Retailers with their own installers should make room and encourage their installation teams to attend, while manufacturers need to keep listening to the people fitting their products in real homes. Schools, colleges and training providers should also be considering ways to help young people experience this show.

InstallerSHOW has created an environment that the wider industry should use. It is a place to raise standards, share knowledge, celebrate skilled work and help people see a future as a tradesperson. From its plumbing and heating roots, this show has grown into something much bigger. For kitchen and bathroom installation, this year felt like the start of something big. The community is there. We all need to help it grow.