Warm Southern hospitality. Finger-licking ribs. Sweet tea. Hand shakes and hugs (in spite of swine flu concerns). Intermittent rain storms suddenly interrupting sunny high 60s temperatures. This was the 2009 version of the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show held in Atlanta May 1-3.

Lines were shorter and aisles were not as crowded as at past shows, but the exhibitors were not complaining. While companies may have sent fewer people to attend the show, those they did send were the decision-makers.

As one exhibitor put it, “We are not scanning hundreds of booth visitors, but the 50 or so we do scan are high–quality leads.”

Another said, “It’s not as bad as we expected it to be. We’ve seen a steady flow of people.”

There were new items to be seen but a number of manufacturers pointed out that there would be some delays in product introductions because they have had to focus so much of their resources on lead-free plumbing products. They’ve had to shelve some of the development work on other products to meet the deadline for AB1953. So some products they had hoped to unveil at this show may not be introduced for nine months to a year from now.

Some manufacturers said they were just re-doing all of their faucets to lead-free or ultra-low-lead because they expected the legislation to expand to more states and possibly even become a global trend.

Most frequent words heard during booth visits: Green. European. Contemporary. Sustainable.

I learned a little French at K/BIS this year. At the Brizo booth I was told “Virage” means twist. Brizo was showing fixtures with twisted spouts and twisted handles.

At the Kohler booth I learned that “Reve” means dream. Kohler’s  European-inspired Rêve collection includes a dual-flush toilet and several lavatory and vanity options in a number of softened shapes and dimensions.

At the Kaldewei booth I was invited to sit in a tub built for two (see photo) —  the new, free-standing Luxxo Duo Oval bathtub in black enameled steel decorated with a swirl of tiny non-slip pads on its floor.

The economy was clearly a negative force and a major concern. Moen addressed monetary worries with a price reduction averaging 20% on its stainless steel sinks.