The International Housewares Association (IHA) has been the host of the world’s leading home and housewares trade show for over 80 years. Each year, thousands of products, and innovations–from tabletop and kitchen essentials to cook and bakeware–are featured and on display in Chicago’s McCormick Place. Although the show had been canceled the past two years due to the pandemic, media, buyers, and brands alike are excited for an amazing return. We had the opportunity of speaking with Leana Salamah, the Vice President of Marketing at IHA, about what both exhibitors and attendees can expect to experience at The Inspired Home Show 2022.
What are you most looking forward to after two years since the last event?
Seeing people in person, face-to-face. The housewares industry has suffered from a lack of in-person events these last couple of years. We hear all the time from retailers that they have been able to “make do” with virtual, but that they simply cannot discover new suppliers, new brands, and new product ideas without a live event to show them all off. The craving for in-person interaction is real and we are just so pleased to be able to put on an event that helps both suppliers and retailers advance in a meaningful way.
Are there any new additions or activations to the show for 2022?
Along with the new name (formerly known as the International Home and Housewares Show (IH+HS), and lifestyle-focused look, the Inspired Home Show will feature unique activations to assist with product discovery at several events and displays.
Healthy@Home Trending Today Preview: A Pre-Show event on Saturday, March 5 that features 60 exhibitors with products that focus on the healthy home, healthy mind, and healthy spirit. It encompasses everything from how we physically clean our home living spaces and organize our home environment to safe food preparation, sustainable home products that eliminate harmful waste, and products that ease our stress levels and promote overall well-being. A post-COVID-19 world will continue to rely on safe social and home protocols and the products that make it possible.
Discover Design Gallery: A showcase of the unique products that define the home. The Discover Design Expo features high-end, design-forward concepts from across product categories and around the world.
IHA Market Watch: The 2022 IHA Market Watch Report will focus on three specific mindsets, all of which are present to some degree in all consumers. The onsite display will showcase products that align with each of these mindsets: Consciousness, Creativity, Connectivity.
New Product Showcase/Global Innovation Award (GIA) for Product Design: The New Product Showcases are in the Buyers Clubs in each Show building and feature new introductions on display at the Show. The GIA for Product Design display is a must-see destination honoring exhibitors’ latest creations and cutting-edge innovations, with award recognition, recognizing five finalists in 14 categories.
The Pantone ColorWatch Display: Returning with a new location in the Grand Concourse near the main entrance to the South Building, the display will focus on the color palettes for 2023, along with the 2022 Color of the Year Very Peri, which will capture the heart and minds of the consumer. Individual displays will illustrate home and housewares products that showcase emerging color palettes to help product designers and retailers visualize emerging trends.
TheInspiredHomeShow.com is the source for all information and updates about The Inspired Home Show. As we are not having a printed Show directory this year, our online marketplace, Connect365, is the online Show directory. Attendees will be able to search for companies, brands, and products, as well as Show events and activities, education sessions and keynotes, and the Cooking Theater schedule.
Create a free account on Connect 365 and you can save companies, products, brands, and any Show information for future reference. All the information on Connect365 will populate the Show’s mobile app, so when using the app attendees can log into their Connect365 account and access whatever they have saved. It will be very helpful to buyers as they can look up exhibitors they want to see as they are walking the Show floor.
Is your brand exhibiting at The Inspired Home Show this year? Let us know what you are most looking forward to in the comments below!