ROSEMONT, Ill., Aug. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Housewares Association announced today that its annual home + housewares gathering, The Inspired Home Show, will be held in-person Aug. 7-10, 2021 at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The event had previously been scheduled for March 13-16, 2021. The Show is ranked 11th in the Top 250 Trade Shows in the U. S. and is the largest annual 1st quarter event in Chicago.
"As the pandemic continued into the summer, we had multiple conversations with our Board of Directors, exhibiting members and retail buyers, all of whom were experiencing apprehension about the ability to safely convene the industry as soon as March of 2021," said Derek Miller, IHA president. "While the Show continues to be a critical part of their businesses, the health and safety of our industry is our first priority and moving the event to later in the year allows more time for authorities to successfully manage this crisis."
"On behalf of the IHA Board of Directors, all of whom are exhibitors at The Inspired Home Show, I'm extremely pleased that we were able to find alternate dates for The Inspired Home Show 2021," said Howard "Chip" Steidle Jr., CEO of John Ritzenthaler Company and 2020 IHA chair. "Given the current trajectory of the pandemic and the ongoing nature of treatment and vaccine development, I can confidently say that this is the best option for our industry right now."
The decision to postpone the Show until August of 2021 has been met with universal support from the home + housewares retailer community. "We spoke to a number of key retailers, both domestic and international," said Miller. "All of them have been very vocal about their desire to have a face-to-face Show in 2021 and are enthusiastic about holding the Show later in the year."
Regarding the 2022 Show, Miller said IHA will survey exhibitors and buyers in the coming weeks to collect current and relevant buying pattern data to determine appropriate timing for future Shows.
An FAQ with further information for both exhibitors and attendees is available on the Show website, TheInspiredHomeShow.com/DateChange.
The International Housewares Association is the 82-year-old voice of the housewares industry, which accounted for (US)$394.3 billion at retail worldwide in 2018. The not-for-profit, full-service association sponsors the world's premier exposition of products for the home, The Inspired Home Show, IHA's Global Home + Housewares Market (TheInspiredHomeShow.com), and offers its 1,400 member companies a wide range of services, including industry and government advocacy, export assistance, industry and consumer trends through the IHA Market Watch, executive management peer groups, a B2B community at www.housewares.org, group buying discounts on business solutions services and direct-to-consumer engagement through TheInspiredHome.com.
SOURCE International Housewares Association
