Each year, the International Home + Housewares Show (IH+HS) is highly regarded for debuting the latest and greatest products for the widely diverse home market. Held in McCormick Place in Chicago, this year’s show ran from Saturday, March 10th through Tuesday, March 13th. The IH+HS floor was lined with miles of booths, and lotus823 was on-site and thrilled to be a part of the sold-out show!
Why is IH+HS Such a Big Deal?
Since 1927, the International Housewares Association (IHA) has held one of the United States’ largest trade shows, in Chicago. The show aims to bring home and housewares manufacturers to a central location to display their best and most innovative products annually.
This year, more than 2,100 exhibitors were on the IH+HS trade show floor welcoming over 60,000 industry leaders and innovators who traveled to Chicago from all over the world.
In addition to various high profile members of the press, retailers from Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, and numerous other buyers were in attendance deciding what to stock their shelves with for the upcoming year.
A range of lifestyle experts, chefs, and TV personalities were also on-site to see the latest innovations, trends, and most talked about products as well.
Who Should You Keep an Eye On In 2018?
From appliances, cookware, cleaning supplies, and food, to furniture and technology– four days doesn’t seem like enough time to see it all! Robotics, hydration, and high design were some of the pervasive trends that attendees were noticing across all brands. HomeWorld Business was among the key trade press represented on-site, and captured some of the product highlights below:
What Was lotus823 Up To?
On-site were several of our lotus823 team members, each constantly moving throughout the three buildings of McCormick Place, making the most out of a packed four days!
Our client, Cuisinart, debuted dozens of new kitchen electrics, cookware, tools & gadgets, and more at the show this year. From Espresso Defined, to the Precision Master™ Petit 3.5-Quart Stand Mixer, Cuisinart’s booth displayed a wide variety of products for any home chef.
Joseph Joseph, another client, was present as well, and was once again a recipient of the IHA Global Innovation Awards for Product Design, in two different categories! In the category of Bath + Personal Care, Joseph Joseph’s Flex Toilet Brush was awarded Best in Class. The Titan trash compactor was also honored as the best product in Household Electrics + Home Environment.
Other clients at the show were Bene Casa, Bradshaw Home, and Maverick Industries.
Bene Casa was exhibiting its full line of products made specifically for Hispanic cooking and lifestyle. Showcasing products such as the Pressure Cooker, La Caja Asadora, and an Espresso Machine, the booth was packed with energy for four full days!
Bradshaw Home, known for providing total home solutions, showcased its full array of home cleaning products at the booth. Highlighted products included the new DAWN® Hydration Bottle Cleaning Kit, DAWN® Scrubtastic Duck, Clorox® Multi-Purpose Flex Scrub Brush, Clorox® Tub & Tile Scrubber, Mr. Clean® BLISS™ Gloves, goodcook® Food Prep Gloves, evercare® Lint Flip, and the evercare® Mega Lint Roller. With an extensive collection of products for attendees to check out, Mr. Clean himself even made an appearance at the booth to help out!
Finally, Maverick Industries was excited to debut its latest meat thermometers. With INSTA-SYNC operating technology, the new products provide users with a faster connection, reduced interference, better data packet transmission, reduced connection drops, and a simpler user program– making it a must-have for any grilling enthusiast.
Other members of our team could be found all over the show networking, meeting with colleagues, and of course enjoying themselves! As the hectic days on the trade show floor came to an end, our team is excited more than ever for the future. Between following up with exhibitors and press, to networking long after the show, IH+HS 2018 was just the beginning!
What was your favorite moment from IH+HS 2018? Tell us below!