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March 2-5, 2013. IHA tells us it’s “the home authority”. The acronym stands for International Housewares Association. This body is the 75-year-old voice of the housewares industry, which accounted for over $300 billion US at retail worldwide in 2010. The not-for-profit, full-service association sponsors the world’s premier exposition of products for the home, and offers its 1,700 member companies a wide range of services. The International Home and Housewares Show is, we are told, the world’s premier housewares marketplace, featuring 2,100 exhibitors from 34 countries, and more than 20,000 buyers from over 100 markets around the world. The Inventors’ Corner Pavilion was anchored by 60 creative inventors and hot-off-the-press new products, a magnet for buyers and news media alike. The International Housewares Association partnered with the United Inventors Association (UIA) to attract a new wave of inventors to the show. What do you get when you cross an inventor with an inventory…?
Aug. 19-22, 2012. Design, we were told, moves markets. It creates trends. It infuses energy, breeds innovation and unleashes the new. Design drives business by differentiating. Hence the success of the Gourmet Housewares Show at the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF). Key categories included cookware, bakeware, kitchen gadgets, kitchen textiles, bar and wine accessories, small electrics, specialty food, cookbooks, storage/containers, picnic and barbecue accessories. This reflected a significant lifestyle interest in home entertaining. Cross category home and gift retailers continued to add design-led cookware and innovative bar and kitchen accessories to their assortments. The Tabletop and Housewares division showcased a major concentration of Gourmet Housewares Companies. OK, who wants to try one of these designer waffles…?
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Exhibit Hall before opening
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Part of the Container Project
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Uncontained Container project
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Bathroom Bling
Apr. 22-26, 2012. KBIS is the Kitchen and Bathroom Industry Show, and it was your invitation to “touch the future”. Meaning what, exactly? ”Each generation has different needs for self-expression, security and connection”, we heard. “Meeting their physical requirements and understanding the emotional benefits that drive and influence product purchases for each will help them to improve their lives and will expand your business”. To prove it, the so-called UNcontained exhibit, anchoring the center of the KBIS show floor, was a journey through the lifestyle stories of five unique consumers. “You will recognize them”, we were told. “You will relate to them. The containers are not a room in their homes but rather a creative perspective on the attributes and values that have changed the rules of design. All the rules are broken”. Except the one that water flows down-hill, of course…
May 1-3, 2012. Categories covered at the National Hardware Show included hardware and tools, homewares, laws/garden and outdoor living, paint and decorators’ accessories, storage and organization systems, plumbing and electrical goods, tailgate products such as grills, tents, sports equipment etc…. An Inventor’s Spotlight section was co-located with Pitch Tank, and inventors had the chance to pitch their breakthrough business concepts and products to Kevin Harrington, Investor Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank and Chairman of TV Goods, and Steve Rogai, CEO and Co-Founder of TV Goods. The investor seminar covered topics including licensing of inventions, sourcing from suppliers, funding inventions, distribution… Hey, I’ve got this cigarette lighter vacuum cleaner thing that also cleans your bowling ball and sets off an alarm if it detects smoke….
Mar. 22-25, 2012. The Architectural Digest Home Design Show was where the design in-crowd went to explore the latest products for the home, shop from new and established brands, and get inspired by new ideas and insight from top talents in the design industry. There were exhibits from nearly 400 premium brands, design seminars presented by The New York Times, cooking demonstrations and tastings, complimentary one-on-one design consultations, and show tours with New York Design Center designers. The MADE section provided individual artists and designers with an opportunity to promote themselves at the show. Although artisan work has always been a part of the AD show’s offerings, MADE highlighted this work with a voice of its own rather than being mixed among corporate production brands. So what do you have designs on…?
Mar. 14-17, 2012. ISPA claims to be “the only trade show in the world dedicated to the Mattress Industry”. This biennial event featured exhibits of the latest innovations in machinery, equipment, components, materials, supplies and services for the mattress industry. The ISPA EXPO enabled mattress manufacturers from around the world to shop and compare – and more than 3,000 of them showed up to prove it. Attendees were drawn from disciplines like CEOs, Owners, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Plant/Production and General Management, Sales/Marketing Management, Purchasing and R&D/Engineers. Who knew that sleep was so technical? The post-show verdict? Better to sleep on it…
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Welcome to IHA 2012
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Interview blocking the aisles
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Into the Hall following the suited arses
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BedHead – what half the attendees at 9am have. No coffee carts
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Bounty on Bounty
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Cakepop Demo
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Cakepop Demo
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California Avacado Board represents
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Home Cotton Candy Demo. Jillian must not have seen this
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My favorite thing-champagne lucite ice bucket
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OXO instore exhibit
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PediCab from SodaStream
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There was a pet section too
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Jillian Michaels touting healthy soda from SodaStream
Mar. 10-13, 2012. The International Housewares Association (IHA), we hear, is “the Home Authority”. Their 2012 International Home + Housewares Show got the thumbs-up from buyers and sellers alike. The show was a sell-out, with more than 2,100 exhibitors, and achieved nearly a 7% increase in total buyer attendance, including significant growth in international buyer attendance. The housewares industry accounted for three hundred billion dollars at retail worldwide in 2010. The association offers its 1,700 member companies services, including industry and government advocacy and export assistance. With tens of thousands of new product introductions, over 500 new exhibitors and the introduction of new Innovation Awards, buyers found novelty and innovation at every turn”, said the post-mortem appraisal. Time to head for home…
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