Detailed Agenda
11:00am – 1:00pm | Registration
12:00pm – 12:45pm | Welcome Lunch (Sponsored by Yipit Data)
12:45pm – 1:00pm | Welcome Message & Research Highlights
1:00pm – 1:40pm
Soft Landing for the Fed, but Nice Runway for Housing
NAHB economist Eric Lynch, CBE will provide you with a macroeconomic & housing update that will help make sense of today’s business landscape. The topics that will be covered in this presentation will include how the broader economy currently stands, what factors are impacting housing demand, which supply-side issues are affecting home builders the most, the latest NAHB research on the single-family, multifamily, & remodeling sectors, and corresponding sector forecasts for the upcoming years.
1:40pm – 2:20pm
Not in Kansas Anymore: The Shifting Home Improvement Market 2025+
This industry is changing rapidly. Economic uncertainty, demographic changes, increased volatility, and an underlying change in influence of participants within the home improvement market. What exactly is happening with housing (and home improvement), and what should the industry anticipate ahead?
2:20pm – 3:00pm
From the Front Lines: The Pro’s Perspective Panel
This fast-paced panel, moderated by Jennifer Castenson, will dive into how pros are managing every aspect of their business, what they think of today’s challenges, what recent experiences have been, and where they are seeing opportunities, plus what it all means for tomorrow. They’ll share what sources they tap into to inform business strategy, what trends they are tracking, and how that’s changing.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand what pros priorities are and how to adapt your business to address their needs.
- Learn what opportunities they are tracking and align your business strategy to their goals.
- Discover what they see as their challenges and how you can better serve them to help remove roadblocks.
Jennifer Castenson
Vice President of Ambassador & Industry Partner Program | Buildxact
3:00pm – 3:30pm | Networking Coffee Break (Sponsored by S&P Global)
3:30pm – 4:10pm
Consumer Insights: Power Shift
As Boomers retire in droves, power and wealth is transferring to younger generations. With an inherent ethic of sustainability, Millennials and Gen Zs are changing the rules of engagement. These younger generations have seized the top influencer position in the housing market, and their expectation for net zero, electric, healthy, smart, resilient, solar-powered homes that don’t break the planet—or their bank accounts—is undeniably changing the industry.
How do these shifting demands impact the way that building professionals and manufacturers should design and build homes and products for today’s homebuyers? Join Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman as she presents a dynamic session jam-packed with COGNITION Smart Data insights into key generational preferences, purchase drivers, and behavioral patterns.
4:10pm – 4:40pm
From Inspiration and Research to Purchase and Loyalty – What Trends Are We Seeing from Today’s Omnichannel Home Improvement Shoppers?
Rooted in Google’s Demand data, Josh Banfield and She Browning will provide insights they are seeing on Google and YouTube and provide practical examples of how suppliers and retailers can effectively engage today’s DIY or Pro shoppers no matter where they are on their journey. Learn home improvement demand and audience trends, omnichannel insights, and the influence of YouTube and YouTube creators.
4:40pm – 5:10pm
Consumer Demand for Energy Savings
Contractor Opportunity: Learn how to support homeowners in making energy-saving investments in their homes, including content around understanding homeowner motivations and incentives and how to highlight your expertise in energy efficiency in your marketing.
5:10pm – 5:30pm Closing Remarks & Networking Reception Welcome
5:30pm – 7:00pm Reception & Cocktail Hour (Sponsored by OpenBrand)
7:00am – 8:00am | Breakfast (Sponsored by Circana)
8:00am – 8:05am | Welcome Message Presented by Brunner
8:05am – 8:40am
Stylish Trends to Timeless Designs: A Decade of Data on Home Remodeling with Houzz
Home trends come and go, but some have the staying power to make a lasting impact. In this session, Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing at Houzz, will explore the evolution of homeowners’ top priorities for their home improvement projects. From enduring kitchen and bathroom designs to a new emphasis on sustainability and aging in place, each insight is handpicked from a decade’s worth of research in the Houzz community of over 65 million homeowners and home design enthusiasts and over 3 million industry professionals.
8:40am – 9:10am
Core Drivers of Home Improvement Spending and Regional Variations
After a period of phenomenal industry growth, 2024 is presenting new challenges for residential remodeling. Critical for navigating spending downcycles is a solid understanding of the key drivers of home improvement spending—including household incomes, home values, and homeowner demographics—as well as how these drivers vary across the country. Although remodeling faces meaningful headwinds in the near term, the core drivers of home improvement activity continue to support a robust market for home improvement spending in many areas of the US.
Abbe Will
Senior Research Associate & Associate Director, Remodeling Futures | Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
9:10am – 9:40am
How AI Will – and Won’t – Affect the Home Improvement Industry
From her vantage point at ground zero of the explosion in Generative AI, Lynne will share her perspectives on ways AI is on track to change how builders, remodelers, and manufacturers do business and which predictions are just hype.
9:40am – 10:10am
How the Pro is Evolving (Their Attitudes and Preferences Impacting Behaviors)
Competition for the Pro customer continues to heat up. This group represents high YoY growth opportunities based on HIRI’s long-term market forecast. What pros want, how they want it, where they get it has changed in recent years. Manufacturers and Suppliers must understand these changing dynamics to meet contractor needs. In this session you’re learn about residential home improvement contractor attitudes and demographics of the pro market that are driving behaviors in what and how they engage with building products suppliers and brands.
10:10am – 10:40am Networking Coffee Break
10:40am – 11:10am
How Smart Home Technology is Changing the Home Improvement Landscape
Technology is changing how people interact in their daily lives and is being infused into consumer’s homes that are built on a foundation of internet connectivity and services. This presentation by leading market research firm Parks Associates addresses current adoption of smart home technologies, trends, barriers and drivers for adoption, and the impact on the home improvement industry. Session includes insight into broadband and WIFI networks, demand for technology in new homes, and consumer purchase habits as well as the impact of the housing market slowdown and higher interest rates.
11:10am – 11:40am
Cultivating Loyalty through the Power of Customer Data
Customers are a part of on average 15 Loyalty Programs. Cutting through the noise to gain loyalty amongst Homeowner & Pro Customers is become increasing more challenging. In this session, Leigh will focus on Lowe’s Key’s to Success from creating data driven audience strategies, building a loyalty first operating model, and evolving to a customer centric loyalty experience.
11:40am – 12:00pm Final Thoughts