Housewares industry executives will convene next week outside of Chicago for two days of education and networking during concurrent conferences by the International Housewares Association: CHESS and the IBC Global Forum.
The conferences are set for October 3 and 4 at the Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O’Hare.
CHESS (Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession) is the IHA’s annual in-person gathering of member leadership to hear a wide-ranging lineup of educational presentations on vital business topics of the day.
The IBC Global Forum, presented by IHA’s International Business Council, gives the international sales managers of IHA member companies a chance to hear from key retailers and distributors across the world.
I have been privileged to participate in CHESS for more than two decades as an industry editor and now also as a part of the IHA team. That has forged my first-hand appreciation of the attentive zeal with which industry leaders make time to break away for a couple of days during an extremely busy, critical time of year for their businesses. They relish the opportunity to glean valuable information and insights from presenters and fellow executives that can apply well beyond the impending holiday season.
I again will emcee a comprehensive slate of CHESS presentations designed to help attendees set a course for the near and long terms. This year’s lineup hits on the theme of an industry in a constant state of transformation and how companies can best equip themselves for steady, productive change.
The transformation theme certainly applies to this year’s CHESS retail keynote speaker: Jonathan Johnson, CEO of the new Bed Bath & Beyond (formerly Overstock). Johnson, who guided Overstock’s home-centric merchandising transformation and its subsequent acquisition of the Bed Bath & Beyond intellectual property assets, will update attendees on the rebirth of Bed Bath & Beyond and his vision for the brand.
Other CHESS sessions will examine diverse industry topics: housewares retailing market data and trends; artificial intelligence and Chat GPT; brand and product diversification; sources of business funding; retail credit evaluation; online consumer review optimization; regulatory updates involving PFAS chemicals, Prop 65 and ADA; the Generalized System of Preferences trade agreement; and the movement to measure the sustainability and ethical impact of a company’s operations.
See the full complete CHESS schedule.
The IBC Global Forum, meanwhile, will spotlight housewares buyers and distributors covering Canada, China, Eastern Africa, India, Ireland, Latin America, Spain/Portugal and the United Kingdom.
The speaker lineup features two major retailers in the Americas: Canadian Tire and Sodimac, a home improvement retailer with a presence in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay. Canadian Tire’s Carolyn McPhearson, vice president, merchandising, Living Division, is set to discuss the retailer’s home and housewares merchandising and buying strategies. Sodimac’s Patricia Barreiro, GMM, home decor, and Melissa Garza Cantu, GMM, housewares, Mexico, will discuss nuances of the Latin American market.
Also during the IBC Global Forum, market research and analytics firm Circana will provide a view of growth opportunities in Canada and Mexico. IHA’s global offices and representatives, comprising more than 25 key markets, will also offer insights into their key markets during the conference.
See the complete IBC Global Forum schedule.
A critical fourth quarter for the home and housewares business begins next week. So does the opportunity for home and housewares leaders to get a jump on critical business developments and insights that can help them transform and prime their companies for success well beyond the fourth quarter.
It’s not too late to register to attend CHESS and the IBC Global Forum.
See you in Rosemont.
