The Inspired Home Show Connects Product to Lifestyle and Industry to Consumer Mindset

Each year, housewares buyers and sellers from throughout North America travel to Chicago for The Inspired Home Show, one of the premier housewares trade events. Connecting products to lifestyles while simultaneously shaping consumer perspectives.

Buyers from over 125 nations attend the Show each year in search of products, with pre-pandemic levels seen for space applications.

Exhibiting at The Inspired Home Show

Formerly known as the International Home + Housewares Show, The Inspired Home Show connects not only buyer to seller but also product to lifestyle and consumer mindset. As North America’s largest housewares trade show, retail buyers and manufacturers come together at this event to discover new products, discover industry trends, meet existing suppliers and build their businesses for 2019.

Planning is key to creating the optimal Show experience, which is why IHA has provided numerous tools and services designed to make the Show easier and more productive.

Exhibitor Support and Services

All exhibitors must register all contractors and manufacturer reps who will be working in their booth with IHA’s contractor management system, to avoid being denied entry. IHA also offers various on-site services to support your Show needs; please refer to the 2024 Exhibitor Services Kit for more details.

IHA is committed to keeping The Inspired Home Show an event focused on business relationships. Any unauthorized photography of exhibits or products at The Show is strictly forbidden and could result in expulsion of those companies found engaging in such activity from participating.

Exhibitors should constantly monitor their booth area, reporting any unauthorized photographers immediately to security or IHA staff. Furthermore, exhibitors must remember to respect other exhibitors’ privacy by not entering another company’s display area without first receiving permission from its representative(s).

IHA’s Code of Conduct aims to protect the safety and well-being of all Show attendees, visitors, employees, exhibitors and members of the media. It outlines minimum standards of professional behavior according to IHA’s published rules and regulations (such as but not limited to its Rules & Regulations of International Housewares Association) while IHA reserves the right to amend these at any time it deems fit. A copy is posted at each hall entrance and in all meeting rooms. Furthermore, McCormick Place is a smoke-free facility; smoking is prohibited anywhere at McCormick Place or food service areas.

IHA’s Global Home + Housewares Market

The International Housewares Association hosts the world’s premier trade show dedicated to housewares. Retail buyers and housewares suppliers meet here every year at this show featuring thousands of home and kitchen products, displays highlighting innovative new product innovations and an array of educational sessions and networking events where guests learn from industry icons and experts about consumer lifestyle trends, innovative business approaches and retail strategies.

This year, The Inspired Home Show has renewed its focus on engaging consumers by tailoring its brand and offerings to better reflect consumer trends. Additionally, they renamed themselves The Inspired Home Show in order to reflect their dedication to assisting brands and retailers create products that help people live comfortably within their home or kitchen spaces. This change took immediate effect and will be evident across its five Expos: dine + decor, clean + contain, discover design, international sourcing and wired + well.

IHA remains committed to producing an unparalleled trade show experience while expanding its reach among consumers by connecting with influencers. The 2024 Show will include more influencers on its floor than ever before, helping exhibitors and retailers connect with relevant consumers.

Retailers from across the country and around the globe make it a point to attend IHA’s Show each year, providing a valuable opportunity for retailers to meet with high-level decision makers and find products to attract more shoppers into their stores. Beyond providing retail buyers, the Show also brings many other benefits – global commerce marketplace, executive-level member share groups/ conferences/ international business development tools/ and facilitation of industry standards among them.

IHA has long provided support for the housewares industry since its foundation in 1892. Now one of the premier organizations representing housewares manufacturers, it boasts over 125 national and international member companies that represent them through education, events, publications and legislative initiatives. Their primary mission is representing and advancing industry interests while encouraging innovation, research and development initiatives as part of improving competitiveness in this sector.

The Show’s five Expos

The largest home + housewares trade show in North America returns to Chicago March 4-7 with thousands of retail buyers from all around the globe visiting McCormick Place. Buyers come searching for innovative home + housewares products and ideas to attract consumers into their stores as well as attend educational sessions to stay abreast of industry trends. In addition to five Expos, The Inspired Home Show also boasts unique on-floor attractions.

IHA’s goal is to maximize the success of the home + housewares industry through market data services, facilitation of global commerce, executive-level member share groups and conferences, production/management of The Inspired Home Show (2024 Show), executive member share groups/conferences as well as executive member share groups/ conferences; among many other initiatives. For this event alone we plan a host of exhibits/events including;

Clean + Contain, Dine + Decor, Int’l Sourcing, Wired + Wall and DISCOVER|design will offer retailers access to an assortment of home and housewares products in categories ranging from cookware and storage solutions to personal care items for sale at this year’s show. Retailers will connect with suppliers offering solutions for every occasion like providing help against cold-related illnesses or providing helpful soup-related recipes and hacks during Souper Sunday at this year’s Show.

2024 will see more than just home + housewares products on display; it will also host the Global Innovation Awards ceremony, with IHA receiving numerous accolades including recognition from Retail Dive and The Wall Street Journal for this program.

IHA has made several adjustments to its Show’s length and layout in 2024, taking into consideration feedback received from two industry-wide surveys as well as four special committees made up of both exhibitors and retailers. After reviewing all feedback received, the IHA Board of Directors decided to reduce overall Show length while optimizing Show layout in order to provide exhibitors and retailers with an engaging, productive, efficient trade show experience.

IHA has made further enhancements to The Inspired Home Show’s program offerings, which includes returning an esteemed lineup of keynote speakers, industry trend sessions and Innovation Theater presentations. Additionally, The Inspired Home Show will host product and category tours as well as providing attendees with new opportunities to network and gain knowledge from peers.

The Show’s Innovation Theater

The Innovation Theater at The Show offers attendees timely, relevant content to keep them abreast of industry trends and consumer behavior. Sessions cover such topics as inflation’s effect on home and housewares consumers; dining and drinking trends; new packaging concepts; using data to predict the future of housewares market; export procedures procedures compliances procedures etc – among many more topics.

At this year’s Innovation Theater speakers include Joe Derochowski of Circana (formerly The NPD Group); Anita Desai of TikTok’s Head of Home & Living; and Newell Brands leaders discussing their consumer occasions-based marketing strategy. These presentations can help retailers and manufacturers understand key consumer trends driving change in the marketplace so that they can better plan their marketing strategies.

In addition to exhibiting cutting-edge products, the Show’s Innovation Theater gives attendees an opportunity to connect with each other and learn from one another in an informal setting. The event includes moderated discussion panels and Q&A sessions featuring experts in merchandising, retailing and product design who host regular panels focusing on these areas – each session topic and speaker selected specifically to meet retailers and manufacturers’ individual business requirements.

Innovation is all about providing value to consumers, which is why it’s vitally important that you understand what people want and how you can best reach them in an increasingly digitalized economy. This is especially relevant now that there is such an increased blurring between brick-and-mortar retailing and online trading.

Customers today have more access than ever before to information. It’s therefore key to learn how to differentiate your offerings from those of competitors and effectively communicate this to your customer base. The Show’s Innovation Theater provides the ideal setting to hear from expert panelists on how best to succeed in today’s ecommerce environment.

With its global scope and diverse attendee demographic, The Inspired Home Show is an unmissable event for anyone working in home + housewares industry. Attended by top decision-makers found nowhere else, decision makers from across all levels attend The Inspired Home Show with over 600 Million impressions across print, broadcast and online placements!