The International Housewares Association (IHA), based in Rosemont, Illinois, is changing the name of the International Home + Housewares Show to The Inspired Home Show, IHA’s Global Home + Housewares Market in 2020.
The change is part of the association’s expansion of The Inspired Home platform, which was created to align with consumer trends shifting from functional home design to aspirational lifestyle development.
“The IHA board of directors, IHA staff and our external design partners have been working on this change for over a year. We started with a blank canvas to develop a name and brand that would set the right tone for the industry, positioning our show for the future,” said John “JC” Collins, president/CMO of Neatfreak and 2018-19 IHA chairman. “In the end, we leveraged our existing consumer brand, The Inspired Home, extending it to the trade as we found a clear convergence between product suppliers, retailers and consumers through lifestyle branding,”
“As the premier home and housewares event in the world, our members, exhibitors and retail attendees expect a show that reflects current trends and attitudes,” said Derek Miller, president of IHA. “The Inspired Home Show will maintain all relevant aspects of the International Home + Housewares Show while introducing new elements that help product suppliers and retailers meet the needs of the changing consumer marketplace.”
This is not the first time that IHA has changed the name of its annual event to align with dynamics in the industry and with the consumer. Until 2003, the event was known as the “International Housewares Show,” changing to the “International Home + Housewares Show” in 2004 to reflect a scope beyond individual products and moving toward the overall home environment.
The Inspired Home Show, IHA’s Home + Housewares Market will have an updated look and feel that is closely aligned to the current The Inspired Home consumer platform, incorporating lifestyle imagery and classic colors. The show will remain a trade-only event at McCormick Place in Chicago and will maintain its “five expos in one” format with dine + decor located in the South Hall; clean + contain, Discover Design and International Sourcing located in the North Hall; and wired + well located in Lakeside Center.
In addition to IHA’s current Housewares.org website, The Inspired Home Show also will be supported on an all-new website found at TheInspiredHomeShow.com. The show will take place March 14-17, 2020.
IHA rebrands logo
The IHA has introduced a new logo and graphic identity system for the association and all of its related brands. Coming at the same time as the announcement of the new show branding, the change is designed to bring all of IHA’s products and services together into a common family.
“During the process of renaming and rebranding our annual trade event to The Inspired Home Show, we saw an opportunity to create alignment among all of our brands,” Miller said. “The new system uses common fonts, colors and layouts, making all of our brands easily recognizable and clearly relatable to one-another.”
All IHA brands, including Chess, Core and IBC, will feature updated logos that align with the new organizational approach. Information about the International Housewares Association and all of its services can be found at Housewares.org.
IHA is the 81-year-old voice of the housewares industry, which accounted for (US) $364.2 billion at retail worldwide in 2017 ($91.6 billion at retail in the U.S.). The not-for-profit, full-service association offers its 1,400 member companies a wide range of services, including industry and government advocacy, export assistance, State-of-the-Industry reports, point-of-sale and consumer panel data through Housewares MarketWatch, executive management peer groups, a unique Web-based community at www.housewares.org, group buying discounts on business solutions services and direct-to-consumer engagement through TheInspiredHome.com.
