I went. I saw. I conquered.

Forget the “conquered” bit. I’m exhausted.

If you’ve ever been to the Orlando convention center you’ll know that it’s larger than 93.5 football fields side by side. Okay, I just made that up – but I’m telling you, it’s pretty darned big.

The annual International Home Builders Show has been in Orlando for the last 4 days “ which is about half as long as you need if you want to see it all. But for those in the business, it’s where you have to be if you want to find more fellow builders and suppliers than anywhere else in the world. You’re confronted with all the latest building trends and can’t help but trip over the coolest new products and services. It’s everything you need to see, everyone you need to know, all in one place to give builders opportunity to do what they do best.

And every year it gets bigger. This year: with over 1,900 leading suppliers representing 300 industry categories, covering over a million net square feet of exhibit space (their version of 93.5 football fields) it is really um, almost too big. It’s overwhelming.

Ok, let me put it to you in LEGO terms. It’s likethere are Lego pieces, pieces like you’ve never seen before, new shapes and sizes, that make you go Ooohh aahhh… Then there’s a million types of Lego paint, so you no longer have to accept the old red or blue bricks; there’s special Lego glue that will let you build your towers stronger and higher than you ever believed possible “ without the top ever breaking off. There are new ways to organize your Lego, ways to store and protect it so it lasts hundred of years. There’s even software that will give you blueprints for twenty-first century Lego design, and a COOL new device that will tell you that the missing Lego piece you’ve spent the last 3 days looking for is under the bed “ where the dog left it. I could go on with the Lego analogy but you’d probably start thinking I’m some kind of Lego geek. I’m really not. It’s just hard to put the experience into words. And I know Lego better than I know buildings. You see, I’m not a builder. I’m not a developer. I just sell the stuff once it’s been made.

And I have a suggestion for next year. For the sake of us real estate agent types who just can’t keep up, add a section where you can fall over, crash, and nap on a comfy Lazyboy for a couple of hours.

I’m off to bed.