On a day the river turns shamrock green, as do parades, pubs and parties across Chicago, it’s interesting how many vivid connotations are invoked by the color.
Luck. Nature. Envy. And, of course… Money. One could make a case that each of those can apply to the home and housewares business.
With that as a backdrop, The Inspired Home Show 2024 opens tomorrow (the official St. Patrick’s Day) to an industry that, through the years, has benefited from its fair share of luck to go with plenty of strategic precision; has dramatically advanced its responsibility to nature in all facets of operation; has been the envy of other industries less resistant to economic peaks and valleys; and, of course… has made a little money along with way.
If timing is, indeed, everything, the next three days inside Chicago’s McCormick Place could be remembered one day as a critical inflection point for a housewares business ready to renew its legacy of reliable growth after the unpredictably unprecedented volatility of a pandemic era fading into a more distant past.
For this moment to mark the start of a new housewares era, it will require meeting the needs of a marketplace hungry again for innovation at a strong value. That should be a mandate among suppliers and retailers, and products needed to achieve that mandate no doubt will be found along the aisles of McCormick Place by those inspired to look closely and thoroughly. The significant housewares buying power set to walk those aisles represented by national, regional and independent U.S. retailers, along with international buyers from more than 140 countries, would seem to serve as proof they’ll be looking.
There will be much to see. Some 1,700 housewares companies are set to exhibit at The Inspired Home Show 2024, more than at the 2023 Show, the International Housewares Association reported. The 2024 show features more than 350 exhibitors that did not participate in the 2023 show, including some 200 companies new to the show this year and many companies returning to the show after a brief absence, IHA reported. The 2024 Show presents more exhibitors and occupies more exhibit space than the 2023 Show in a streamlined layout and timeframe. The shift this year to a three-day event in two exhibit halls, McCormick Place South and North, has been met positively by exhibitors and attendees asking for a more efficient and productive show experience, according to IHA.
The discovery opportunity extends beyond the show floor. There will be five keynote sessions in McCormick South room S102, including a preview of growth plans by the new leadership of Beyond, Inc., which last year relaunched Bed Bath & Beyond; an overview of the U.S. retail landscape from Circana; a look at the importance of the Hispanic consumer in the U.S. from Univision; a forecast of color trends from Pantone; and a consumer trend outlook from Trend Bible. The show’s Inspiration Theater (formerly Innovation Theater) presents experts on a wide variety of industry topics throughout each day at the show in McCormick South S101a.
Key after-show-hours programs include the Independents Celebration (March 16); the Influencer Expo connecting suppliers with social influencers (March 16); the HYPE reception for young industry professionals (March 17); the gia Gala presenting awards for global merchandising and new product excellence (March 17); and the Networking After Dark event (March 18). The Housewares Charity Foundation’s annual Housewares Cares Gala (March 18) will honor Herb Landsman of TJX with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Kristen Stevens of QVC with the Humanitarian of the Year Award. Details on The Inspired Home Show 2024 education program and events are available at https://www.theinspiredhomeshow.com.
St. Patrick’s Day is always an interesting time to be in Chicago. This year, it’s an ideal time for the housewares industry to be in town… to celebrate all things green.
Good luck.
