Derek Miller’s 2024 Letter to the Houseware Industry

With just over four weeks before the opening of The Inspired Home Show, we are truly excited about the industry’s focus shifting to Chicago. More than 1,700 exhibitors from 40 countries and more than 30,000 attendees from over 125 countries are slated to participate.  The total number of exhibitors and exhibition space will exceed that of last year, and we continue to assign additional companies every day.

Importantly, over 200 companies will exhibit at the Show for the very first time, and over 150 companies will return to the Show after a brief absence.  A few notable names of those returning include:

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Brushware’s Top 15 Article’s For 2023

As we countdown to the new year, Brushware takes a look back with our annual most read articles ranking. This year’s list addresses well-known industry topic as the top article touches on the labor issues that continue to be a challenge for all of manufacturing. Looking further down the rankings, acquisitions were active in 2023 and that activity captured the attention of readers. Additionally, there always seems to be an interest in new products, so it was not surprising to see articles on new product innovations in the top 15 as well. Please enjoy Brushware’s recap of the top industry news articles from 2023:

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The Inspired Home Show: Three-Day Event in 2024

International Housewares Association Announces Exciting Changes to The Inspired Home Show 2024

The Inspired Home Show 2024, to be held next March in Chicago, will undergo several changes to Show length and layout, the International Housewares Association announced today. After carefully considering feedback received from two industry-wide surveys and four special committees made up of both exhibitors and retailers, the IHA Board of Directors has decided to reduce the overall length and optimize the Show layout to create the most vibrant, productive and efficient trade show experience possible for the industry.

The Show will now open on Sunday, March 17 and close on Tuesday, March 19.  The majority of exhibitors and retailers indicated on recent surveys and in discussions that three full days at the Show is sufficient with business being more concentrated over that timeframe, said Derek Miller, IHA president & CEO.

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The Inspired Home Show 2023 Has Nearly 30,000 Visitors

Increased exhibitor and retailer participation drives enhanced discovery, connections and commerce.

The Inspired Home Show 2023 ended on March 7 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, after four highly productive days. As a follow-up to the initial return in 2022, the Show demonstrated significant year-over-year increases in both exhibitor and retailer participation. More than 1,600 exhibitors and nearly 30,000 home and housewares professionals from 125 countries came together to discover new products, reconnect with colleagues and advance the industry.

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2023 Global Innovation Awards for Excellence in Product Design Announced

Fourteen housewares suppliers ranging from well-established brands to first-time exhibitors were honored as Global Honorees of the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) for Excellence in Product Design today. The Global Honorees in each of 14 categories were announced during the invitation-only gia dinner on the first evening of The Inspired Home Show 2023. The global honorees are:

  • Bath + Personal Care:  Stasher, Everyday Beauty Bag
  • Cleaning: simplehuman, paper towel pump
  • Cook + Bakeware: Gourmet Kitchen Works LLC, Genetti Fan Lid
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Tom Mirabile On Consumer Trust and Quality

While there are many factors influencing consumers’ perception of value these days, trust and quality emerged as the two most important in new research revealed today by IHA’s trend expert Tom Mirabile at The Inspired Home Show 2023, IHA’s Global Home + Housewares Market.

Mirabile, principal of Springboard Futures, gave a keynote session, “Consumers In Control: Insights & Imperatives for the New Economy,” to reveal the 2023 Value Equation Index – new research highlighting the most important elements influencing consumers’ purchases of home and housewares products today. The survey of 1,200 US householders was conducted just two weeks ago as a joint project between Springboard Futures, Project Partners Network and The Trend Curve.

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Preview of The Inspired Home Show 2023 Keynote Sessions

Omnichannel Growth, State of the Housewares Industry, Consumer and Color Trends Take Center Stage During Keynote Sessions at The Inspired Home Show 2023

Leading retail executives, market data analysts and consumer trend and color forecast experts will share their home and housewares industry vision in special keynote presentations during The Inspired Home Show 2023. The Show will be held March 4-7, 2023, at Chicago’s McCormick Place Complex. The keynotes are set for Saturday, Sunday and Monday in Room S102 in the South Building. The hour-long sessions will be held at 1:00 p.m. each day and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. Admission is free to all Show attendees.

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Innovation Theater Sessions Focus on Economic Marketplace at The Inspired Home Show

Creating strategies for success in the current economic marketplace will be the focus of this year’s presentations in the Innovation Theater at The Inspired Home Show 2023, March 4-7, 2023, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Innovation Theater sessions will explore such topics as inflation’s influence on the housewares consumer; directional dining and drinking trends; purchasing in a digital world; new packaging concepts; looking at history to forecast the future of housewares; export operations, procedures and compliance; and the state of the travel goods industry.

The Innovation Theater continues its commitment of bringing relevant, topical and actionable content to the Show at a time when the housewares industry wants and needs such information, direction and inspiration. The theater is located in Room E350 in the Hall of Global Innovation in the Lakeside Center. Sessions will be held Saturday through Monday.

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