The Inspired Home Show – a favourite in the trade fair diary – opens today, bringing American and international buyers and exhibitors together under one roof.
With exciting special displays such as the Pantone ColorWatch, new products showcase and the Cooking Theatre to name a small few – The Inspired Home Show is indeed, inspiring.
A key part of the show is the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) awards, for more than 20 years they have been honouring excellence in the housewares industry around the world. Every year, finalists and Global Honorees are named in the areas of Retail Excellence, Product Design Excellence and Student Design Excellence – a special gala event takes place on Saturday 4 March announcing the winners.
Aimed at retail buyers, there will also preview in the Grand Ballroom (S100) of what is trending today with a curated collection of products and brands delivering on the key trend of At-Home Entertaining will appear before the show starts on Saturday morning. Here retailers will get a first look at ideas that deliver on the consumer need to bring more experiential activities back into their homes.
In the Grand Concourse Lobby of the North Building you’ll find the Hall of Product Innovation where you will find new ideas from 14 different product categories come together with outstanding combinations of form and function and the ingenuity of tomorrow’s product designers.
Interestingly, there will also be a specialist Chicago Retail Tour taking place on 8 March. Show attendees are encouraged to spend part of their visit to Chicago bench-marking innovative and inspiring retail. The Chicago Retail Tour will begin with a complimentary continental breakfast and U.S. Retail overview. Throughout the day, the tour will visit some of the most exciting home + housewares retailers in suburban Chicago, including The Container Store, Crate & Barrel, Williams Sonoma, Best Buy, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart and more. The Chicago Retail Tour is free for non-US attendees of The Inspired Home Show®. Although the tour is free, pre-registration is required as space is limited. If you have any questions, please email retailtour@housewares.org.
