I know from experience, though, that there is no way that I'll be able to see everything I want to, even if I could spend all day every day on the show floor.

So I've been doing some planning. I talked to my old friend Roy Diez, who has to be the reigning guru of the Builders' Show, to pick his brain a bit. This is his 40th (yes, fortieth!) consecutive trip to the show, so there's not a lot he hasn't seen there.

You can take advantage of Roy's experience, too. Check out his HGTVPro article titled "First Trip to the Builders' Show?" and the list of his product picks, and you'll get the benefit of all that experience, too.

Thanks, Roy! I know I'm not the only one who appreciates your sage advice (especially the part about the comfortable shoes).