Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Next month’s International Home+Housewares Show in Chicago will not only put its usual strong focus on trends in colour, but also underline the importance of innovation with a new programme of awards and a new hall celebrating ground-breaking introductions.
For the first time, exhibitors’ cutting-edge innovations will receive recognition through the IHA Innovation Awards, with finalists spotlighted in the New Product Showcases in the Buyers Clubs in each show building. The winners in each of 12 categories, picked from 400 entries, will be announced on Saturday, March 10 at 4:30pm in the Innovation Theater.
The show will also see the launch of the new Hall of Global Innovation in the Lakeside Center Level 3 lobby. Designed to present a visual summary of trends that are shaping the world of housewares, the exhibits include the winners of the IHA Innovation Awards, the 2012 Student Design Competition and the Global Innovation Awards. There will also be examples in the Going Green exhibit of the steps some manufacturers are taking in developing sustainable products and packaging.
The Hall of Global Innovation will also host the popular ColorWatch feature. Put together by Pantone, it focuses on the nine palettes representing the strongest home furnishing colour trends for 2013.
Colour will also be the focus of two talks by international colour expert Lee Eiseman, one of many speakers lined up for the show’s educational sessions. At noon on Monday, March 12 she will give her annual colour forecast revealing Pantone’s palette for 2013, and at the same time the following day she will explore the pros and cons of colour forecasts and the use of colour in the Far Eastern market.
The International Home+Housewares Show, which will present some 2,000 exhibitors, takes place at McCormick Place, Chicago from March 10 to 13 2012.
