Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
The just-concluded 2016 International Home + Housewares Show is garnering rave reviews from buyers and sellers, according to the organiser.
The event, held from March 5-8 in Chicago, was sold out with 2,224 exhibitors from 47 countries and featured a rebranding of the show look.
Phil Brandl, president & CEO of the not-for-profit International Housewares Association, which owns and operates the show, said: “We’re very pleased with US and international buyer attendance, which were a virtual match with last year’s record numbers.
“This is very positive given the recent retraction at retail and the strength of the US dollar, which makes exporting more difficult.
“2016 was a year of substantial transition with the complete rebranding of the show to the ‘It’s SMart’ theme and graphics, along with the re-categorisation and location of the Discover Design Expo to a new area. Exhibitors and buyers alike expressed their satisfaction with these show enhancements.
“All in all, the 119th International Home + Housewares Show was a successful marketplace for the industry.”
The New Exhibitor Preview on Saturday morning attracted more than 500 buyer and media attendees, increasing attendance over last year. The event offers buyers and the media the opportunity to meet with 62 first-time exhibitors in advance of the official 10am Show opening.
Phil Brandl said response from the buyers was very positive about the New Exhibitor Preview, “and we anticipate attendance to continue growing as more buyers want to begin their day earlier.”
The show also included a series of educational sessions, including keynote programmes on colour and design trends and how consumers’ emotions affect colour choices by Lee Eiseman of the Pantone Color Institute; an overview of consumers’ core values and expectations by Tom Mirabile of Lifetime Brands; the impact of millennials on housewares by Warren Shoulberg and Maureen Azzato of ‘HFN’; and turning food shoppers into housewares buyers by Todd Hale and a retail/supplier panel.
In addition, the Innovation Theater offered 21 presentations on ‘the Internet of Things’, global shopping and retail and consumer lifestyle trends.
The 2017 International Home + Housewares Show will be held from March 18-21 at McCormick Place in Chicago. 2017 attendee registration and additional Show information are available at www.housewares.org.
